Emerald Arches came about when I was playing around with a makeover for Stephen King’s novel Green Mile. One particular blending of an image and a background, the former discarded as far as Green Mile was concerned, shrieked at me to be recreated as my next art piece. The photograph is a painting from 1842 by Jules Victor Genisson on Wikimedia of the interior of Amiens Cathedral. Blending it in ‘overlay’ mode via Photoshop with 2 Lil’ Owls texture 2LO Distressed 7 made my heart leap!
I wanted to bring out the edges as if the original had been an architectural drawing with a colour wash. This I achieved by adjusting the brightness and contrast and sharpening the edges until I was satisfied. I could have used Photoshop’s rendering tool on a duplicate layer but this is never satisfactory as it always looks unnatural and manufactured rather than actually drawn by hand.
Like so many towns in Northern France, Amiens is, for me, inextricably linked with The Great War. The Battle of Amiens — also known as the Third Battle of Picardy — took place ninety-seven years ago this month and was the one that would eventually lead to Germany signing the Armistice. The town also suffered during the Second World War and was occupied several times by both the Allies and the Axis powers. Perhaps if I had ever visited Amiens, I would associate it with something else, not least the 13th century cathedral — a World Heritage site — which is clearly an exquisite example of Gothic architecture, and the town’s renowned macaroons.
Available at the following galleries:
Redbubble
Crated
Zazzle US
Zazzle UK
Fine Art America
Fine Art England
Saatchi Art
Take care and keep laughing!
Perfectly lovely.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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Thank you, David. xxx Humongous Hugs xxx
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I love it, Sarah…..I often spend time in Picardy and must visit this cathedral….YOu shine:) Happy Wednesday…Janet. x
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I’m thrilled you do, Janet – much thanks. And I’ll come with you to Picardy! Happy Wednesday! x
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I would really love that….:)x
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Lovely Sarah! (Yet another place I’ve driven past but never visited! ) Have a wonderful Wednesday 🙂
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Thank you, Jane. You must go there at once – meet up with me and Janet!
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Aha what a splendid idea! I’ll pack the sandwiches 🙂
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Stunning!
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Bless you, Juli.
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I have been to Amiens a few times, though the last visit was some time ago now, around 1988. I haven’t been inside the cathedral since I was in my teens however, and your image does it justice, from what I can remember.
I enlarged the sections of the photo, and the detail has been retained amazingly well. That duvet cover would look wonderful, in a Gothic-themed bedroom!
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Thank you, Pete. My treatment makes it rather different as the original painting shows the interior as much lighter and stone-coloured with a golden hue!
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Very beautiful, Sarah! Love the colors you chose to overlay this image with. Works perfectly. 🙂
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Thanks, Itaya!
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How beautiful and to think, it was inspired by Stephen King in a roundabout way! 🙂
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You’re a sweetheart, Joanne. Much thanks.
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Oh wow Sarah this design is spectacular – stunning is the word. The color washes were perfect, and totally brought out the edging – you accomplished your goal on this piece. I really enjoyed reading about your process.
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Thank you so very much, Mary. You’re good for the soul!
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Reblogged this on ' Ace Friends News '.
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