Waterfall Church - Starno Art Booklet

Waterfall Church" began as a humble, spontaneous sketch—just a simple black-and-white drawing jotted down in a notepad with no particular intention or purpose at the time. It was a fleeting idea, born from a moment of creative inspiration, yet it would evolve into a much more intricate and realized piece. The sketch was later scanned, refined, and brought to life with color in Photoshop, where I carefully painted over a grey-shaded 3D model to create depth and a sense of realism.

This matte painting was not only a technical experiment but also an exploration of atmosphere and environmental storytelling. The church, nestled beneath the cascading waterfall, creates an oddly surreal and noisy setting—a place far from the serenity one might expect for a quiet night. The juxtaposition of the natural world and man-made architecture invites the viewer to question the space's purpose and the experience of those who would inhabit it. Imagine trying to sleep under the constant roar of a waterfall—certainly not the most peaceful environment!

The entire process took around 4 hours of work, though the development from initial concept to finished painting was much more reflective of a time when my personal creative endeavors were driven purely by passion and curiosity. This piece was created in the early 2000s, during a period when I still had the luxury of time and motivation to pursue personal projects outside of professional obligations—dedicating my evenings and weekends to exploring and refining my artistic skills.

It was a time when I was still very much in the process of discovering my voice as an artist, and the Waterfall Church painting was a manifestation of that journey—a combination of technical experimentation and creative exploration that shaped my understanding of digital painting and matte painting techniques. Though the work itself may have been completed relatively quickly, it holds a special place in my development as an artist, capturing both a moment of inspiration and the drive to continually push the boundaries of my craft.