
Eclipse of the sun projected onto a watercolour painting
Photograph of watercolour painting (16 x 22cm) and projected image. 29th March 2025
The image above is a detail of the projection of a partial solar eclipse onto a watercolour painting. The watercolour painting is a simple painting featuring only a rudimentary landscape and sky which was created as a base for a collage. It was only while watching the eclipse from my garden that in occurred to me that the painting would work well as a backdrop for projecting the eclipse.
Using a telescope to project the sun onto a white background such as a sheet of paper is a standard method of observing the sun. It’s something I’ve been doing for the past 55 years or so.
The painting is on white watercolour paper which looks dark in these photos because the projection technique involves using a baffle to shade the paper (otherwise it would be too bright in the sunlight).
The projection could be categorised as a form of light art.

