Moonshine Still 1

In a dense forest with moss covered trees, a moonshiner has constructed a still from stone, copper, and a couple of wooden barrels. A fresh mountain... more

by Daniel Eskridge

Title

Moonshine Still 1

Artist

Daniel Eskridge

Medium

Digital Art - Digital 3d Rendering/cgi

Description

In a dense forest with moss covered trees, a moonshiner has constructed a still from stone, copper, and a couple of wooden barrels. A fresh mountain stream meanders through the woods nearby and runs over a small waterfall. The shallow creek is an important resource for the bootlegger, providing water both the mash in the pot and way of cooling the coil in the condenser.

Moonshining, that is, illegally distilling liquor, is a part of the culture here in the South. The Appalachian mountains are heavily wooded, providing cover from the authorities, and they are laced will freshwater streams that moonshiners use to cool their condensers. In fact, there is a working still in the city hall of town Dawsonville a few hours drive from me where anyone can taste moonshine without running the risk of jail time (technically, since it is legal, they make unaged corn whiskey rather than "moonshine" -- in order for it to be called "moonshine", it has to be illegally distilled -- but it is the same substance otherwise).

This image is the first in a series of six showing the same still from various angles and distances.

About how I create my artwork:

Rather than traditional forms of art such as painting or photography, I use a computer to create my images. It's called 3D Rendering and works like so: I make a scene by sculpting and arranging digital models in a virtual 3D space. After stipulating lighting and atmospheric effects, I have the computer create simulated environment from which I take a virtual snap shot of the scene. Then, using image editing software and something more akin to traditional painting techniques (via a Wacom tablet), I go over the work adjusting colors, adding brushwork, painting in details, etc. to produce the final image. Software I use includes: Sculptris, ZBrush, Blender3d, Vue, Daz Studio, and GIMP.

Thanks for looking!
Daniel Eskridge

Uploaded

September 10th, 2013