Martian Sunset II

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By Mark Castle
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$1,578.42

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Dimensions (HxWxD):

30 × 30 × 2 cm

Materials:

Hematite and oil on canvas

Primary Medium:

Oil Painting

Small
2021
Signed on Back
Ready to display
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A sunset seen from the surface of Mars, painted with Hematite. Hematite is an iron oxide and takes its name from the Greek word for blood. Fine grained hematite is responsible for Mars's red hue. Sunsets on Mars can appear blue because of the scattering of red light in its dusty atmosphere. The original photo I painted from was taken by Nasa's Spirit Rover from the surface of Mars. Hematite is a fairly soft rock and breaks down into a very highly pigmented powder. A process called levigation was then used (suspending in water so the heavy particles sink, then pour off the water containing the fine particles) and once completely dry I had a very fine powder. Hematite powder binds very well with oil, creating a very strong deep red paint immediately reminiscent of the rusty planet. In these predominantly blue paintings, I mixed hematite paint with viridian green to achieve the dark foreground tones. I source my hematite from Cumbria, UK. Framed in a float style wooden frame hand made by the artist. Solid pine wood finished with rich dark satin and varnished.

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