Gary J. Penta's
'Nighthawks Meet Slender Man'
'Nighthawks Meet Slender Man'
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Sponsored by Volusia Powder Coating
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Coming just a week after 'Snow Bunnies, 'Nighthawks Meet Slender Man' is much darker than my typical style of work. These 'Nighthawks' are not to be confused with the ones found in the 1942 oil on canvas painting by Edward Hopper. His masterpiece portrays people in a downtown diner late at night as viewed through the diner's large glass window. In the metal detecting hobby Nighthawks are unscrupulous individuals that will go to any lengths to find gold, silver, and other treasures. This includes cutting locks, climbing fences, trespassing, and even digging on sacred soil. This diorama was conceived and built while waiting for category 5 hurricane Dorian to slam central Florida. After several days of panic buying the long lines for gas are gone and the store shelves are picked clean of canned goods. My town in Winter Garden Florida is now hunkered down and waiting to see what path Dorian will take. While heavily influenced by current events and different from others that I've built, this diorama is also special in another aspect. It's unique in that it is my first to showcase a very clever background 'fog' technique learned from a fellow diorama builder. The dramatic lighting provides more depth to the subject matter and intensifies the overall mood. You can expect to see more of this feature in future builds. For scale reference the two detectorist figures are 1.75" tall. It measures 10" x 10" x 8" and was a two day build with ongoing tweaks and adjustments.
