andy van ness – desktop pictures

Constants

Constants was created to be a visually beautiful representation of a mathematically beautiful equation: e^πi + 1 = 0. (This is known as Euler's identity.) The equation describes a relationship between five of the most important constants in all of mathematics: e, π, i, 1, and 0.

I find this equation to be so beautiful because it relates these five constants that were discovered in completely different (and seemingly unrelated) fields of math. 1 and 0 need no introduction, of course. π is approximately 3.14159 and is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. e is approximately 2.71828, is the base of the natural logarithm, and was first defined as the limit of a particular equation. i is the "square root of -1" (if you will) and is the basis of all imaginary and complex numbers.

These seemingly unrelated concepts are linked by this single unbelievable equation. I hope that my attempts at visual artistry do the mathematical aspects justice.

The Last 5 Years

A tribute to a beautiful musical theatre work by Jason Robert Brown. It tells the story of a failed marriage, Cathy beginning at the end and working her way towards their first date, and Jamie beginning on their first date and working his way toward the end. The two pass one another and sing together for only a single song: their wedding.

This desktop is separated into the two conflicting views of Cathy and Jamie: Cathy on the left in blue and Jamie on the right in sepia. The two tones blend in the middle into a full-color image of the two standing together as Jamie proposes, a photo taken from the aforementioned only song they sing together.

I highly recommend this show.

Find You

First of all, apologies for the blatant ripoffery of Chris Gin's gorgeous HDR picture.

This one might be a little weird... I'll just say it has something to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and if you can't figure out what that phrase is doing floating between the red tree and the yellow earth, then you need to re-watch the show.

Reflections III

This is the third generation of this image, and so far the best. The original was just an experiment to test out Bryce 3D's rendering capabilities, but I liked it so much I continued making images along those lines until Reflections III evolved.

Basically, it is a (somewhat) random collection of what Bryce 5 calls "metaballs", objects that act much like drops of liquid in zero gravity. The room is completely dark, and the objects are colored mirrors. I place a single light source on the opposite side of the objects from the viewer, so no visible side is illuminated, but you can see the reflections bouncing off of the objects back and forth.

Just a Dream

Sorry to disappoint, but there's no deep meaning behind this image. It's just some random fun in Photoshop. But that doesn't detract from its aesthetics.

Sunset

Just a lucky shot taken in Hawaii. Wow, was I ever in the right place at the right time. I'm glad I had a camera with me.

Ice Cascades

This is a long story. Trust me, if you ever find yourself in possession of an enormous sheet of ice, find a sledgehammer and a camera.

Semisonic

A tribute to the band Semisonic.

Guster

A tribute to the band Guster.

Reel Big Fish

A tribute to the band Reel Big Fish.

Something Corporate

A tribute to the band Something Corporate.

Dashboard Confessional

A tribute to the band Dashboard Confessional.

Hope

This is a nice blue background with "hope" written in D'ni script. (D'ni is the underground civilization in the Myst books and games.) The D'ni word for "hope", when written with standard Latin/Roman alphabet, is "devokan".

Music

A few of you may recognize this image's inspiration—it's Aquallegro's icon. This took longer to make than it should have.