Solutrean Sunset

Except for the starry field, the image below is entirely digitally generated:

(Click to enlarge)

The title for the image was suggested by portions of the pattern in the sky, which seem reminiscent of the well-known leaf-shaped flint spearheads from the Solutrean period of the Paleolithic era.

The pattern in the sky is a Fibonacci Spiral centered on the setting sun. It is generated using the Damask tile (see the image at right).

The sailboat was manually designed.

The starry field is borrowed from an astronomical photo found on the NASA website. Before the reflection process is applied, the Fibonacci spiral design for the sky is placed over the starry background using a fade process to make it merge with the stars in the darker area at the periphery.

After all of the above elements are put in place, the chromatized reflection process is applied to the image.

To avoid an abrupt edge where the artificial reflections meet the horizon, a “mistiness” algorithm is used to create a hazy zone in the distance, as if there were a thin fog just above the water. The process is described more fully in the notes for “The Jewels of the Sunset”.