Anatomy of Winter Water
February 2016 in Boston Massachusetts – Ashley Davidoff MD
Winter Water changes its size, shape, position and character depending on the temperature, gravity, time and surrounding confines.
Snow Outside in Boston
The winter of 2016 in Boston had not been too bad compared to the unforgettable winter of 2015. We got 8-12 inches on the day this image was taken just a few days before Valentine’s day. As always the snow left a trail of beauty particularly when viewed from the inside of a warm house. Though truthfully, a walk in freshly fallen snow among the trees is also a magical experience. The view from our kitchen window is shown above.
On Valentine’s day 2016, 2 or 3 days after the snowstorm, the lowest temp reached -9 degrees F. This was the coldest Valentine’s day since 1957. It was zero degrees Fahrenheit when the photograph was taken.
Frost and Ice on the Window Pane
4 basic layers evolved on the kitchen window. This is explained diagrammatically in the next image. The real beauty was at the the bottom of the window pane there was a whole bevy of magnificent gems of the winter, hanging on the outside of a double paned kitchen window. The crystals were attached to a large ice droplet. The result of nature’s work was more beautiful than any man made piece of jewelry.
Frost and Ice on the Window Pane Explained
The relatively warm top part of the window showed a few ice crystals of collected fallen snow (layer 1) which quickly melted to form small droplets of water (layer 2). Gravity caused these water bubbles to flow downward and get a little larger as they accumulated smaller droplets to form the bigger drops in the frosted background (layer 3). When they reached the bottom part of the pane the temperature was lowest resulting in crystallization and formation of beautiful gem-like structures .
Gems of Ice Crystal at the Bottom of the Window Pane
Under given conditions in the winter, snow is formed from the water in the clouds and the water gets transformed into a wide variety of sizes, shapes and character. The result was breathtaking!
Melted Frost and Ice Gems
The following day, the temperatures rose and the beautiful forms of crystallized ice, melted into a few nondescript water droplets, still beautiful but in a very rustic way.
In the Meantime on the Outside Winter Water Creates Miracle Art
As the temperatures rose, I took the dog for a walk in the local park and was greeted by an infinite variety of microcosmic ice formations caused by the rising temperatures. The puddles of frozen water started to crack, revealing magnificent shapes and a variety of ice and crystal formations in various stages between the solid and liquid form of water. Within a span of 30 minutes, I took over 200 images and here follows the result of the short photographic excursion with my macro lens.
Ice Crystals on Columns of Thin Ice
The shapes in this small ice pond took the form of columns of thin transparent ice with horizontal needle-like crystals projecting off the columns.
Picasso Flying on Thin Ice
The art piece discovered in an ice pond by a macro lens revealed Picasso the eternal artist of yesteryear from the perspective of winter water. The Picasso-like face in a boot with wings was perceived by the artist. The formation of ice crystals require special winter conditions. In this case ice bubbles formed around a structure reminiscent of a face with a peaked hat. Waves of water in the ice form the wing-like structures
Mirror Mirror on The Wall – What Do you See?
The art piece was discovered in an ice pond by a macro lens and reveals an abstraction of shapes. MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL..I see an evil queen – What do you see? The formation of ice crystals and shapes in the thin ice require special winter conditions. In this case sharp white lines form a variety of shapes. Waves of water in the ice form the corrugated structures.
I See an Evil Witch in the Mirror
What do you see? The artist’s perception is overlaid in color. The face of the evil witch in the mirror (left) consists the face with red lips, blue eyes, and a hooked nose. To the right is a person with a light green shirt and purple head.
Images of the Architecture of our Ancient Civilization
Tower of Babel ce Bubbles and Wood Chips
In this art piece crystalised bubbles project off pieces of wood chips. The artist saw the an ill formed Tower of Babel crowned by a beautiful formation of ice bubbles
Images of the Architecture of Our Current Civilization
One World Trade Center and Ground Zero in Ice
The art piece is centered on a vertical skyscraper representing One World Trade Center. This art piece is a dedication to the great city of New York from the tiny ice ponds of a Boston park. One World Trade Center is clustered with other skyscrapers in the center surrounding one of the main avenues traversing the city. At the base of the skyscrapers, the foundation soil that shines through the ice water reflects the ground zero earth on which this magnificent building with its deep seated history, was built. The iced up East river surrounds Manhattan. To the left there is a structure that represents the Brooklyn bridge and the wave like ice formation is a continuation of the bridge as it is seen lit up at night that extends from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The whole scene reflects a nighttime scene with city lights that abound.
One World Trade Center The Brooklyn Bridge and the East River
Lessons of Biology
Images of the Natural World
Birds
Pelican Catching a Log Fish in ice Water
The art piece was discovered in an ice pond using a macro lens and reveals an abstract appreciation of the shapes. To the photographer and artist, a pelican is seen to the left of the image with a wide open beak pursuing one of the two fish swimming in the water. The shapes of the fish look more like logs. The small ice ponds in the local park were the source of this photograph. The macro lens allows the capture of the minute detail, otherwise not appreciated fully by the naked eye. There has been no electronic alteration to the art of natural form.
Trees and Plants
Winter Trees of Ice Crystals
A walk in the cold of Boston with a macro lens exposed a tiny forest of winter trees beside a big pond under the warming winter sun. Crystals of ice lined along a horizontal line reminiscent of a small forest, surrounded by the frozen water. The surrounding ice pond has its own innate and naturally beautiful shapes. Above the left side of the forest, the bundle of orange vegetation, likely debris from the previous fall, represents a ball of warming sun to complete the scene.
The scene reminded me of the photograph of the Grove of Cone Shaped Trees below
B
Cone Shaped Grove of Trees
The other images below of the ice crystals on the kitchen window and the similar morphology in the botanical world
Boston Winter Mediterranean Summer
Ice Crystals and Arborvitae
Feather Shaped Ice Crystals Grasses and Flowers
Lessons of Biology
The Marvelous Macrophage – Soldier of the Body
The artist found this brave young macrophage lady in the ice pond of a Boston winter bravely fighting off pathogenic bacteria. AiA applies the concept of multiple cyst like ice structures to the anatomy of the body, and in this instance to the lysosomes and other organelles in the cell. The pseudopods of the dendritic cell are presented as the spiculated ice formations emanating from the edge of the white cell.
Human Biology Romance and Reproduction in Ice
Adam, Eve and the Snake
A Female Torso of Ice Floating On a Film of Cold Water
Woman Looking at Black Ice
In this art piece a woman is portrayed. She admires the black ice through the cleft of her breasts. The solid thick ice has assumed the rounded shapes of a woman’s breasts. The sheets of black ice is seen in contrast to the white ice that dominate the image.
Abstract of Male Organs and Reproductive Cells
The testes are in the bottom right hand corner filled with reproductive cells (sperm). At the appropriate time during ejaculation they take a trip via the vas deferentia. The vasa deferentia are depicted as tubular structures travelling from the testes to the base of the penis down the prostatic urethra where they collect the prostatic secretion. They then travel down the urethra and out into the female geniutal tract. The race is on as they all seek to win the hand of the queen – the ovum de jour.
Single Celled Flagellated Cells Looking for a Single Celled Partner
The shapes that manifest in this instance were small microbubbles with waves of icy water. The small bubbles are reminiscent of sperm cells and the waves of transparent ice reminiscent of the tail of the sperm. The race is on!
Ovary and Follicles in Ice
AiA applies the concept of multiple cyst like ice structures to the anatomy of the body and in this instance to the ovary. Ice bubbles form around air and other small structures of the earth and create follicular shaped structures of varying size on the ovarian like structure. The formation of ice crystals requires special winter conditions. Freezing cold and water are basic ingredients.
Pregnancy in Ice
In this art piece a pregnancy is portrayed. The cracked thin ice has assumed the rounded shapes of a woman with a rotund abdomen reminiscent of pregnancy. The grass of the earth is magnified and illuminated in the pregnant abdomen, and a fetal structure is suggested in the expected location of the uterus.
Lessons of Life
Time, Natural Disaster, Religion, Love, Sorrow, Fulfillment
Time
Time Passes – A Cold Reality
The AiA rendering shows a fallen dead life still with beautiful colors of a Fall and a time gone by, trapped by the ice and cold of the present tense. The message pertains to a yearning for the warmer, richer and mellow days of the autumn. These are but sweet memories which are confronted by the harsh reality of the present and a cold, and sometimes unforgiving winter. Though sweet memories are always sweet, one has to be realistic and deal with the present, knowing full well that the future will spring new realities. Below the ice you may sense just a hint of green of the grass which will be part of the future of this vista. The life lesson – time passes.
Natural Disaster,
Snowquake
A natural disaster
Sorrow and Winter Water
Black Eyes, A Shiny Nose and Odd Looking Tears
The art piece reveals a different perspective of ice on the grate of a manhole cover in a Boston winter. Two square black holes represent the two dark eyes, while the ice on the vertical limb with cracked ice of the manhole cover represents the shiny nose. Two drops of water on the eyes in odd positions represent the odd looking tears providing the intrigue of the art piece. What does the artist infer regarding the sadness in the eyes – that is up to you to think about! Hidden messages abound
Pursuit of Fulfillment with Winter Water
Said the Ice Bird to the Triangle
In this art piece a bird who appears fulfilled in every beautiful way and is trying in a motherly way to teach the triangle a life lesson. She pleads with the triangle not to lose its roots and foundation, because without the foundation it loses its identity as a triangle. She then pleads with the triangle to remain true to itself and in that way it will grow and become something more profound – and in this case the artist draws attention to the triangular shape of the bird’s beak that plays a highly important function in the bird’s life. Finally she tells the degenerating triangle that “..if you don’t pull yourself together, you will end up like all the other sticks in my nest!”
Religion Love, Broken Love, Sorrow and Winter Water
Broken Heart at the Crux of the Cross
taken in the local park after the Boston Valentine’s day freeze.A teardrop is seen at bottom right. The image has a religious feel of course and I also love the way the heart of ice illuminates the oxidized green on the steel grate of the manhole cover. Hidden messages abound.
And that is Boston February 2016 folks- and fun with anatomy of the winter ice water
References for Winter Water
Water Wiki
Window Frost Wiki
Frost Wiki
Formation of Ice Crystals and Snow 5 star
Guide to Frost
