September 22, 2012

SciArt of the Day: Arach-attack!

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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American

Marlin Peterson's spectacular trompe l'oeil of two opiliones (commonly known as daddy long legs) atop Seattle's Armory is bound to give arachnophobes a run for their money. Trompe l'oeil (literally "trick the eye") is a classic mural technique that is used to create the illusion of a three-dimensional object on a flat surface. Because of the tricks of perspective involved, it usually works best from one specific angle - in this case, the observation deck of the Seattle Space Needle. In general, I dream of a time when we can look at our cities from above and see a patchwork of green roofs and garden spaces bringing plants' mitigating effects to our harshest man-made spaces. Until then, I'll settle for mind-blowing art that reminds us of what our cities' roofscapes might harbor looking forward.

Marlin Peterson's portfolio

Read up on the mural's progress from sketch to finished piece

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