Did You See This?

Painting on Water

Van Gogh’s Starry Night is recreated using paper marbling.

The swirling skyline of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night lends itself brilliantly to this recreation using paper marbling. In this video, we see the iconic painting recreated by Turkish artist Garip Ay using a specific form of paper marbling called ebru, also called Turkish marbling. Here’s how it works: artists paint on water that has been mixed with substances that increase its viscosity. Then, the pattern is transferred to paper.

First, Ay dabs the water with paint, creating blobs of color. Then he creates the famous swirls in the sky with a straightforward brushstroke. In this medium, the paint is in motion even after his brush leaves the surface. And yet, Ay still manages to wield control over the painted water. At the end, he even recreates one of Van Gogh’s self-portraits too.

Check out more videos on Ay’s YouTube channel, and visit his Facebook page.