fabian oefner unites gravity and paint to create liquid orchids

fabian oefner unites gravity and paint to create liquid orchids
all images courtesy of fabian oefner

for his latest series of paint action photography, swiss artist fabian oefner has once again captured ephemeral beauty by uniting gravity and liquid chroma to yield delicate and fragile ‘orchid’ structures. through the synthesis of natural forces and acrylic paint, blossom-like arrangements emerge from the fluid matter. filling a tank with several layers of different tones — with the top coat being either black or white — oefner drops a sphere directly into the solution. as the plunging object falls, the paint it splashes into is forced upwards, shaping the blend of liquified hues into floral-like forms. when photographed with high speed cameras, an image is permanently preserved, capturing a moment that transpires for only a fraction of a second before disappearing beneath the surface again. 

vibrantly colored chroma creates the ‘orchid’ shape

dropping a sphere into the paint, gravity forms a blossom-like shape

a capture of the tank from the side shows the different layers of paint lifted out of the white surface

delicate silhouettes emerge from the splashed paint

capturing an ephemeral moment in time

the colored paint is modeled by gravity

uniting gravity and liquid chroma yields delicate and fragile ‘orchid’ structures