Joan Miro's Moon Bird

The above images are HDRI composite renderings. The amazing thing about HDRI is that the 3d model derives all of it's lighting and reflection map information from the rotatable background image. The result is at first glance remarkably convincing. The image below started as a shot taken at the MOMA of museum goers enjoying a Jackson Pollok.

Moon Bird is one of my earliest childhood art memories. When I was 4 or 5 years old, my mother would take me to the MOMA and let me climb all over it. It really is such a playful shape. It's almost balloon like, an inflatable in bronze, cool, smooth and very friendly. Graphically, it's an enormously, strong shape composed of convergent arches and crescents. I set out to recreate the sculpture from photographs in Zbrush. When the model was finished I had the need to see what a couple of my favorite Miro paintings would look like reflected into it. I was delighted with the results. Birds and wonderful creatures dance and stretch, sweeping through rippling waves of undulating forms. As seen in these photo composites, many stills from this  animation experiment would serve well in the filling of large canvases.

The images above and below are Keyshot renderings. Shapeways offers the 3d prints in 6 vibrant colors.