Painting about Water Flow – Karman vortex

At the start of this artwork, I am working with the fluid motion patterns observed in Karman Von Vortex Street formations. I am drafting some geometric designs that will bring to life the vortex fluid movement. At this point, it is neither a turbulent nor a steady flow of water.

A Vortex Street water flow pattern has “eddies [that] alternate with one another and form regular rows. Such flows are not really turbulent, nor are they steady, instead they are “nearly steady” or periodic.” (Patterns in Nature, Chapter 3: All things flow, Peter S. Stevens)

A graphic representation of the water spiralling motion from “Patterns in Nature'” by Peter S. Stevens.

The following image is from “Patterns Downstream” and includes a lab recreation of these fluid movements. (Philip Ball, Flow, Chapter 2 Patterns Downstream: Order that Flows.)

These images present clear impressions in ocean waters of this fluid motion spiralling sequence

FIGURE 5: MISR ON THE TERRA PLATFORM
23 April and 9 May 2000. Source: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Von Kármán vortex streets in the lee of the island of Socorro, Mexico (1050 m). The island is part of a group known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago, located about 400 km equatorward of the southern tip of Baja California.

Here are a few more of cloud formations with the oceanic Karman Vortex as seen from space.

From a design standpoint, I opted to look at a series of sources to capture more background on spirals. Here are gliding patterns from “How to make repeat patterns” by Paul Jackson. The second spiral tiling designs were made by Vodeberg found in Banko Grunbaum and G. C. Shephard, “Tilings and Patterns,” as monohedral tilings.

I’ve set about creating some tiling and repetitive pattern through spirals to convey the Karman vortex street movement in my painting. Here are some rough snapshots of those design repetitions thus far in my work.