Something fishy: This creation by British artist Mark Mawson looks distinctly like a Portuguese man o' war with drifting tentacles

They could be the latest NASA photographs from the cloud systems of Jupiter, a new species of jellyfish, or microscopic views inside the human body.

But in fact these amazing images are a whole new art form.

The work of self-styled 'aqua artist' Mark Mawson, they are created simply by dropping paint into water.

Splashing paint around has been a standard artistic approach ever since Jackson Pollock made his name with it in the 1950s. But by dropping the paint into water instead of onto a canvas, Mawson has arrived at a startlingly new look.

The 41-year-old, from London, has been taking pictures for 22 years but only recently came up with the eye-catching way of creating stunning and beautiful abstract forms at random.

Mawson, who specialises in shooting underwater scenes and people, takes different kinds of paint and drops them into a tank before snapping the outcome with his camera and using a strobe to light up the weird and wonderful forms.

Pitcher this: A milky vision created simply by dropping white paint into a tank of water

One secret of creating the variety of shapes is using paints with different densities.   

'I had seen lots of ink-in-water shots and wanted to try something which had more body and which produced more organic forms,' said Mawson.

'I have had great responses. Viewers can see different things in them and interpret them for themselves.

'Sea creatures are a regular response but also dancers, old men and even Jimi Hendrix setting fire to his guitar.  

Explosion of colour: Two different paints form a striking contrast in the inky darkness

When shooting, he needs to be quick with his camera-finger because the shapes last only for a split second.

'It's a laborious process but worth it when you see the images,' he added.

Mawson's work, currently on display in Sydney, Australia, is up for sale with no set prices.

Drip drip drop: Multiple spatters of paint make for a delicate and complex pattern










Article: HERE