1. University of North Carolina at Asheville
Journal of Undergraduate Research
Asheville, North Carolina
December 2013
Earth From Above:
Aerial View Landscapes
Joy Ann Hof
Department of Art
The University of North Carolina at Asheville
One University Heights
Asheville, North Carolina 28804 USA
Faculty Advisor: Virginia Derryberry
Abstract
The approach to painting in Earth from Above is to create images that are based on
aerial view landscape, using collaged mixed media and experimental pouring
techniques. In Earth from Above, the artist's process is derived from a quest to
discover a balance between control vs. chaos as well as factual vs. the imaginative.
Both the precision of contemporary aerial photography and the often the
imaginative aspects of historical cartography have shaped and informed this
process of discovery. Layers of the painting are developed through a process
similar to that of Action painters in the 50's and 60's but also through the process of
collage and careful buildup of some surface areas.
1. Introduction
My approach to painting in Earth from Above is to create an image of aerial view
landscape using collaged mixed media and experimental pouring techniques. I am
interested in geographical landscapes, mapping and the interaction that water has with the
land on earth's surface. In my paintings I experiment with discovering a sense of chaos
vs. control as well as factual vs. the imaginative. The paintings in Earth from Above are
representations of aerial views of Earth's surface as well as spaces with ambiguous
characteristics.
2. Visual Influences
The visual research for Earth from Above includes careful study of selected satellite
images of Earth's surface. The images I use come from collections on NASA's online
database. I have also studied images that have come from collections found through the
National Climactic data center downtown Asheville, NC. An example of the NASA’s
satellite images are shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 below.

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Figure 1. Landsat 7, Jua Park, Satellite Image, U.S Geological Survey and NASA,
http://eros.usgs.gov/imagegallery/earth-art-2#19.
Figure 2. Aster, Kamchatka Peninsula, Satellite Image, U.S Geological Survey and NASA,
http://eros.usgs.gov/imagegallery/earth-art-2#21.

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When Earth's surface is seen from this point of view, layers of ocean, mountains, desert,
forest and grassland become a composition of abstract colors, shapes and texture that
intrigue me. The Earth’s surface has a rich history of evolving, moving and shaping into
what it is today and I find that when seen from above one can start to understand Earth as
living work of art. Compositionally I am interested in the spatial relations, colors, shapes
and texture found in these photographs. I study the photographs to get a better
understanding of these majestic aesthetics so that I can transfer my knowledge using
paint, placement of color and texture in a way that glorifies these traits on Earth’s
surface. By painting in a way that tests the boundaries of chaos vs. control and the
imaginative vs. factual I have developed enough knowledge to make decisions about
when to pour, what to add, what to take away and when to sit back and enjoy the event
taking place on the canvas. As much as Earth From Above is about my study of aerial
photography, it is also about using the medium of poured paint and mixed media to create
a visual language of my own self-expression.
I am also influenced by American artists who work with aerial view landscape
photography, mapping, geography such as William Garnett as well as Al Denyer because
just as I do they see certain visual aesthetics in nature when seen from above. However, I
am very inspired by the boldness and energy of action painters such as Helen
Frankenthaler and Jackson Pollock of the 50's and 60's because I also relate to these other
methods of expression using paint and other mediums.
The aerial landscape photographer William Garnett dealt with space relations and
composition in an inspiring way. The first person to use aerial photography as an art
form, Garnett had an ability to see beauty in the shapes and colors in the landscape and to
capture it from a different perspective. He photographs the abstraction of the earth's
surface when seen from above. As he notes, "The airborne man sees things that are hard
for people on the ground to comprehend. You accumulate knowledge that suddenly
begins to fit together in a bigger pattern than the land-based person has the opportunity to
see. It's not that I’m unique in any way, it's that I have a platform for observation”1. The
photograph taken by Garnett Erosion, West Slope, Techachapi Foothills, California
(Figure 3)
Figure 3. Garnett, William. Erosion, West Slope, Techachapi Foothills, California, 1951, Silver Print,
Printed 1978, 15' 13/16" x 19' 13/16".

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His perspective inspires me because of the way he was able to see and the organic
abstract shapes in the landscape as well as his drive to represents them as works of art.
Moreover, Garnett and I share the same subject matter and perspective but I am different
in the way I approach representing the information that I see on earth's surface.
I also feel a connection with contemporary artist Al Denyer who draws landscapes from
aerial views. Her conceptual representation of rivers and bodies of waters explores
different regions of the world from a satellite point of view. In her Flow series (Figure 4),
Denyer references mapping, geography, and natural forces that create organic shapes and
patterns.
Figure 4. Al Denyer, Flow III, Graphite on Black Paper, 30” x 30”, http://www.adenyer.com
She states in an interview, "For me there is obviously some subject matter, but they are
abstract pieces."2 She goes on to say that "to look at how a river changes is really quite
fascinating, the twists and turns, how it interacts with different features in the land."3 I am
impressed with how she uses visual language and representation of what she sees in aerial
photography and how she chooses to represent it on paper. However, in my work I don’t
just focus on the controlled mediums and the factual representations but I try to discover
what it’s like to have lack of control of the paint and process as well as letting my
imagination play a role in making the art.
The discovery of finding the balance between chaos vs. control and factual vs. the
imaginative is a reoccurring challenge to work through beginning to end in the process of
making the pieces in Earth From Above. Action Painters in the 50's and 60's are role
models for me in a sense because of their comfort with the chaos that occurs in their
process.
Jackson Pollock's techniques in painting involved during the 1950's were revolutionary
and included placing the canvas on the floor, using an "over-all" composition where he
would include dripping and pouring of paint, ambiguity, abstract expressionism, and
action painting. This form of painting involved expression and movement with his whole
body to make the marks on canvas. My technique is similar in the way that I put my
canvas on the floor and paint by standing above the surface and moving freely around the

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canvas. It is a feeling oriented experience where I heavily immerse my body as a tool to
convey movement and emotion. His work such as Number 8 (Figure 5) has been
described as "being somewhat choreographed made possible a large scale, with a
boldness and an openness that was appealing.”4
Figure 5. Jackson Pollock, 1971, Number 8, Oil Painting, enamel, and aluminum paint on canvas, 34 1/8” x
71 1/4”. Neuberger Museum, State University of New York at Purchase Gift of Roy R. Neuberger.
The techniques and methods were uncharted territory for their time and this excites me to
know that this artist worked in an unapologetic manner. He had no remorse for his
actions and his method of painting in a choreographed way challenged traditional ways of
thinking about painting and composition. He once said, "I deny the accident."5 This is
similar to how I deal with unplanned events that take place on the canvas of my
paintings, which leads to the discovery in finding balance between chaos vs. control.
Helen Frankenthaler was working around the same time as Jackson Pollock and in
many ways was inspired by him. However, she had her own methods and discoveries to
painting that made her unique. She stated that Pollock gave her "a sense of being as open
and free and surprised as possible."6 Studying her work has liberated me to have no fear
of letting go to the unknown and where chaotic moments might take you. In researching
Frankenthaler's process I identify with the importance of intuitive mark making and
experimental pouring techniques that she used to make her paintings. The piece
Mountains to Sea (Figure 6) reveals the early successes of her creative process. In the
60's she began to develop "her own sense of knowing when to stop, when to be, when to
be puzzled, when to be satisfied, when to recognize beautiful or strange or ugly or clumsy
form and to be free with what you are making that comes out of you."7 In Earth from
Above, I have developed my own way of knowing and sensing when to start and stop
throughout the process of applying new mixed media collage and pouring different
consistencies of paint.

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Figure 6. Helen Frankenthaler ,1952, Mountains and Sea, Oil painting, Canvas, 7' 2 7/8"x 9' 9 1/4”. On
loan to the metropolitan Museumof Art, New York City.
In many ways William Garnett and Al Denyer remind me to pay even closer attention
to the patterns, colors and textures and harmonious compositions of the various land
features on Earth’s surface. By the courageous steps in taken by Helen Frankenthaler and
Jackson Pollock I am encouraged to find comfort in moments that seem uncomfortable
when painting. Moreover, researching cartography and the history of mapmaking led me
to the realization of more imaginative aspects when creating my own maps using paint.
3.Mapmaking and Aerial photography
I realize now after my research that Humans have always attempted to interpret and
represent the landscape, as they best understand it from their perspective with the various
tools available. Mapmaking fulfills one of our deepest desires which is understanding the
world around us and our place in it. Historically, according to Corline and Martine Laffon
"Mapmaking may be one of the oldest arts.”8 People have used various resources to
design them for example Native Americans drew vast territories of rivers and lakes on
tree bark and on the flat bones of animals.”9 The Micronesians of the Marshall Islands
invented maps to navigate long waterways using a few palm leaves and shells. The oldest
map that we possess is Babylonian and is not based on any real measurement of the
Earth. However, by mapping small parcels of land and defining their surface area which

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were described as “Inaccurate and sometimes fanciful”10 these maps were still useful
because the maps represented how they understood themselves in relation to their
environment. I find these inaccurate yet inventive, imaginative, and creative maps such
as The United States: Native American map (Figure 7) very liberating.
Figure 7. Artist Unknown, United States: Native American map depicting different tribes living in
northeastern South Carolina, ink on raw hide, The British Library, London.
However with the advancement of technology of the 18th century, according to Corline
and Marine Laffon, "The ascendancy of human knowledge pit itself against the landscape
and most distant horizons: each point of the globe could now be located.”11 Humans now
have advanced tools in technology and the knowledge of Science to accurately map the
world and land features. This was the end of imaginative mapmaking for geographical
purposes. The history of geography and mapping is interesting to me because as our
knowledge evolves so does our perspective.
Aerial view photography was developed when the French photographer Nadar in 1858
took the first documented aerial photographs. Aerial photography is a great tool for
discovering details in the land that has attributing to finding new discoveries in the field
of archaeology. According to Hawkes, "The main advantage of looking down on the
ground is to gain knowledge of spatial relationships between a stream and ancient earth
works. Aerial photographs allow these features to be accurately visualized and mapped,
even when there is no visible trace from the ground."12 This history is important in the
making of Earth From Above because there are many perspectives according to each
individual where some are more imaginative than others but all represent the world, as
you have come to know it.
4.Process
In Earth from Above my process of using new mixed media and experimental pouring
techniques is derived from a quest to discover a balance between control vs. chaos as well
as factual vs. the imaginative. The subject matter of this painting series is referencing the

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characteristics of earth's surface of clouds, movement, trails, and pools of water as well as
sediment seen from an aerial point of view. These images help me determine color
patterns and shapes. The action of mixing the paint and pouring engages my whole body
and is a process of layering acrylic paint over previously dried paint. The paint itself is
watered down and once poured onto the canvas it becomes an event. This photograph
was taken as I was working in my studio performing a pour (Figure 8).
Figure 8. Joy Hof, Pouring paint, UNC Asheville,2013.
The paint moves and interacts with itself and the other mediums as if it were painting
itself. The process and technique of painting that I have created forces me to find a
balance between having control of subject and placement of paint but also finding peace
and understanding that when the paint is in flux it is out of my control.
I use experimentations as a tool to discovering methods of expressing paint in order to
understand spatial relations. I have done a series of mini paintings to resemble small
abstracts of Earth’s surface such as in Mini Aerial Landscapes (Figure 9) and of Ice and
Water (Figure 10).
Figure 9. Joy Hof, Mini Aerial Landscapes,
Acrylic paint, UNC Asheville, 2013.
Figure 10. Joy Hof, Mini Aerial Landscape of Ice
and Water, Acrylic paint,10” x 5”, UNC
Asheville,2012.

9. The mediums I use range from sand, dirt, oil, wax paper collage, glue, pouring mediums,
and water. I choose some of these mediums such as water, oil and dirt as a reference to
the components of Earth. Some choices of movement, material, mediums, placement, and
mark making come intuitively and others come from deductive reasoning. I am
intentionally making a certain space resemble the texture of a solid piece of land by
adding sand or dirt to the pigment to get a 3 dimensional rough texture. However, once I
have poured the paint and it begins to interact with itself and the other mediums on the
canvas if I am not satisfied with the direction the paint is moving in I may tilt the canvas
for no other reason other than intuition and impulse. Once the layer of paint is completely
dried I use my judgment to determine if the painting is resolved or not. To get it to where
I am satisfied it may take layers upon layers of poured paint. Collage is another stage of
my process. I use collage as a way to add texture to my paintings. For example I may use
found material such as wax paper, aluminum foil, or freezer paper and paint on the
surface then cut and place on the canvas. After I collage the pieces onto the canvas I may
pour more paint on top of specific areas in order to unify the composition. By collaging
these pieces together onto matte board I created my own imaginative map called skins
(Figure 11).
Figure 11. Joy Hof, Skins, Acrylic paint, UNC Asheville, 2013.

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This piece is poured acrylic paint onto a plastic tarp. Once they have dried and been
peeled off they are then cut and collaged together onto matte paper. Just as in my larger
aerial landscapes I choose a specific color palette that either represents grassland,
mountains, desert or ocean or pour them individually onto a plastic tarp or sometimes on
household found freezer paper. The shapes are dissections of the shapes and colors that
interlock in the larger Aerial landscapes. I am then able to take the organic shapes of
poured paint and assemble them onto white matte paper as if I were creating an
imaginative map.
5. Conclusion
This process of mapmaking allows me to venture beyond the boundaries of geography or
convention to create images such as Aerial View Landscape of an Imaginative Earth
(Figure 12).
Figure 12. Hof, Joy Aerial View Landscape. Poured Acrylic Paint and Sand, 30" X 45". 2013.

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I experiment and test the idea of whether imagery such as accurate satellite images of
Earth's surface can be art or whether art is created purely by imagination. I also test the
concept of whether or not I as a painter am completely in control of art or can art create
itself when given the opportunity. In conclusion I have found that you cannot have one
without the other. The physical forces of this universe whether it is water, wind, gravity
or fire they all work together to create a beautiful harmony. Where at some points chaos
seems negative whether it is massive erosions, forest fires, volcanoes, or hurricanes it is
imperative to realize that there is also a passing of these events that leads to a more
peaceful growth and transformation. I do not look for the wrong answers when painting
but instead choose to focus on what is going right. I see Earth's surface as a canvas and a
living work of art that is a result of an ongoing process of peace finding a way through
the chaos. I am interested in the colors, textures and patterns that occur from the
movements and transformations of earth's surfaces caused by the many physical forces.
Science can explain the physical process of earth's surface but I am more interested in the
beauty and designs aesthetically as a result of them. Implementing both concepts of
control vs. chaos and factual vs. imaginative into my work such as in Fluid I II and III(
Figure 13) has challenged me to take on a new perspective of what art really is and to
share my own perspective with others by communicating through visual language.
Figure 13. Fluid I II and III, Acrylic Paint with sand and wax paper on dry erase board. UNC Asheville,
2013.

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6.Endnotes
1 Jason Hawkes. Aerial: The Art of Photography from the Sky. Mies: RotoVision, 2003. Print.12-13.
2 Edie Roberson and Al Denyer. Edie Roberson | Al Denyer. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Sept. 2013.
<http://www.artistsofutah.org/15bytes/10june/page3.html>.1
3 Ibid.2
4 Barbara Rose, and Helen Frankenthaler. Frankenthaler. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1971. Print.31.
5 Elizabeth Frank, and Jackson Pollock. Jackson Pollock.New York: Abbeville, 1983. Print.68.
6 Barbara Rose and Helen Frankenthaler. Frankenthaler. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1971. Print.31-32.
7 Ibid.33.
8 Laffon, Caroline, and Martine Laffon. Mapping the World: Stories of Geography. Richmond Hill, Ont.:
Firefly, 2009. Print.43.
9 Ibid.17.
10 Ibid.43.
11 Ibid.44.
12 Jason Hawkes. Aerial: The Art of Photography from the Sky.Mies: RotoVision, 2003. Print.11.