The Shaded Path

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Jigsaw Puzzles!!

DB Jigsaw Puzzles!

9.03/10 rating
(330 votes)

Print Available!

I was recently asked how I spent my birthday. I told her I spent the day working and she looked at me sideways as if to say "That's Too Bad". Actually I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday.

I spent that day creating the pieces for this scene in LightWave 3D and then I assembled them using Vue d'Esprit. The scene has been rattling around in my head for a long while after seeing a random photograph online.

This piece is dedicated to Jessie's Mom and Dad. We visited them recently and were blown away by their incredible hanging garden. Seeing their handbuilt creation inspired me to finally create the geometry.

I hope you enjoy it!!

Here's a page with all of the different seasons.

Pickle Jar Variations what's this?

Member Comments

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Darlene Y.
"The Shaded Path {2013}"
To be able to come out of my home and wander down such a lovely, calm and peaceful path as this would be a dream.



Your use of colors are amazing.

Mon December 21, 2015 at 4:36 am

Stephanie
""10""
I think also this one the best pieces you've ever done.

Really 'Wowww', this heaven.

Wed February 19, 2014 at 4:01 pm

Alexis
"10"
I think this is one of the best pieces you've ever done. =)

Wed February 5, 2014 at 4:54 am

awyeah
"9"
love the added foliage.. but I don't like the blur on the right side at all, a 10 otherwise.

Sat November 30, 2013 at 1:35 pm

Zach
"Wow, that was fast!"
Thank you, Ryan! I really like it so much more with the foliage on the rail!

Thu October 31, 2013 at 2:42 pm

Ryan
"New Multiscreen"
I've updated the multiscreens with the new rail. Thanks you guys like the new render!

Thu October 31, 2013 at 10:21 am

Zach
"Ivy"
Will the multiscreens be re-rendered with the ivy on the rail?

Thu October 31, 2013 at 8:58 am

ZUL
"10/10"
Great work Ryan, another perfect render. I love the beams of light piercing through the mist. I can see this as being a real world or fantasy setting, there's just something about it that you can take it both ways.

Mon October 28, 2013 at 11:17 pm

Ryan
"Autumn"
Autumn version rendering now....

Sun October 27, 2013 at 1:39 pm

Nicola
"6"
I think this is beautiful in single screen, but on a dual screen the right hand side is just railing and people have asked if my monitor is broken!

Fri October 11, 2013 at 11:47 am

Kenny
"10"
Magnificent. One of my all-time favorite DB pieces. And I just worked out how I'm going to use this in my next round of custom framing, at 24 by 15 inches.



You actually hadn't done much I was really in love with for a long time, and now out of nowhere, 2 in a row. *Squee!*

Thu October 10, 2013 at 9:19 pm

David G
"6"
As others have said, this image works poorly on a dual screen.

Thu October 10, 2013 at 8:49 pm

John B
"10"
I want my house to be at the end of this path. When i grow old i want to take daily walks down it and sit on the ancient bench it obviously has(its down there, just out of view) and then reminiscence about the great life i had lived and all the beautiful things i had seen.



Amazing job Ryan. This is a perfect example of why we love the work you create. It helps us escape our mundane lives explore worlds we wished we lived in.

Wed October 9, 2013 at 5:07 pm

John B
"10"
I want my house to be at the end of this path. When i grow old i want to take daily walks down it and sit on the ancient bench it obviously has(its down there, just out of view) and then reminiscence about the great life i had lived and all the beautiful things i had seen.



Amazing job Ryan. This is a perfect example of why we love the work you create. It helps us escape our mundane lives explore worlds we wished we lived in.

Wed October 9, 2013 at 5:06 pm

John B
"10"
I want my house to be at the end of this path. When i grow old i want to take daily walks down it and sit on the ancient bench it obviously has(its down there, just out of view) and then reminiscence about the great life i had lived and all the beautiful things i had seen.



Amazing job Ryan. This is a perfect example of why we love the work you create. It helps us escape our mundane lives explore worlds we wished we lived in.

Wed October 9, 2013 at 5:06 pm

Joe
"10"
The most becalming image I've seen in quite some time. Those shafts of ghostly light remind me of Ocarina of Time's Forest Temple.

Mon October 7, 2013 at 7:54 pm

Marlowe
"9.5"
So amazing! You feel like you can just step through the scree and continue walking down the path.

Wed October 2, 2013 at 10:34 am

Marlowe
"9.5"
So amazing! You feel like you can just step through the scree and continue walking down the path.

Wed October 2, 2013 at 10:34 am

Frank M
"9"
The shades and mist effects are very well done. The greenery 'crawling' along the stone structures is also well configured and organic. The whole thing appears as if it's from a 100% comparable site in the world. BTW Happy belated birthday!

Tue October 1, 2013 at 10:59 am

Chris B
"In regards to the low ratings..."
I honestly don't see how anyone could give a 1 for anything in the gallery. Even the early renders from the late 90s have a charm to them that would keep them above a 1 lol. Whoever gave highland spring a 1 needs to have their head examined

Mon September 30, 2013 at 0:54 am

Chris B
"9"
I've gotten a lot of comments on this one at work, it's always fun to tell them that it's not a real place.



Ryan, are those watermelons hanging down in the pic you posted with Jason in it? I've seen people plant tomatoes from a hanging bucket but I never thought anything that heavy would hang so nicely.


Mon September 30, 2013 at 0:49 am

Jenanne
"@Kyle, Highland Spring"
I hear you. I wondered why the last time a render surpassed Highland Spring, and then dropped to #2. "Spring" is a terrific render, but so are many others. But I don't think it's a conspiracy, and I can't see Ryan putting his finger on the scale. I think the reason it's so hard to exceed "Spring" for any length of time is the sheer number of high votes it's received. "Spring" has 968 votes and 529 of those are 10s. It also has three 1s, one 3, a handful of 4s, etc., but with so many high ratings it hardly matters mathematically. A lot of people really love that render. Even one 1 matters a lot more for "Path" with its 167 votes. It's now #3; "Sakura Night" is in second place.

Mon September 23, 2013 at 1:36 pm

Kyle
"Re: Highland Spring"
Sometimes I wonder if there isn't a conspiracy to keep that at the top... whenever another piece hits number one it starts mysteriously getting ratings in the 1-5 range... Who on earth would honestly rate this a 1?

Mon September 23, 2013 at 10:26 am

Jenanne
"Highland Spring is #1 again"
The Shaded Path was the number one rated image for a few short weeks, but Highland Spring has taken back the number one slot (9.246/10 rating for "Spring" versus 9.224/10 rating for "Path".) In case anyone is interested. :)

Fri September 20, 2013 at 8:38 pm

Russ
"Re: Fall Version"
To Ryan: "You're a good man Charlie Brown"!

Thu September 19, 2013 at 8:25 am

Stargazer
"8"
Wow. I really should keep my comments to myself until I'm able to view your renders on my computer screen opposed to my iphone. This is so so so much better than I had thought, upon seeing it on such a small screen. It's really beautiful. A place I would love to visit. Peaceful!

Wed September 18, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Marco
"10 +++"
I felt a feeling of joy and refreshment.

I love the effect of the light coming thought from above...



Lovely wallpaper Rayan....


Wed September 18, 2013 at 7:51 am

Ryan
"@Sina"

Tue September 17, 2013 at 9:57 pm

Sina
"7/10"
There has been a recent lack of "space/ fantasy world" themed wallpapers :(

Tue September 17, 2013 at 9:18 pm

OMeyers
"10"
Serene

Tue September 17, 2013 at 3:31 pm

Scott
"10/10"
Ok - this is absolutely beautiful - it immediately became my desktop on both monitors and my iPad - wow :)



As an aside, with iOS 7 hitting tomorrow, have you had any thoughts about doing the sizes needed for the new parallax wallpapers? from what I've read:



Here’s how to make your own parallax wallpapers.



Now, all you need to do is add an extra 200 pixels on each side of the wallpaper. Using your image processing app, increase the image size to one of the following, depending on the device you’re targeting:

iPad 2 and iPad mini: 1,424 x 1,424

iPad 3 and iPad 4: 2,448 x 2,448

iPhone 4S: 1,360 x 1,040

iPhone 5: 1,536 x 1,040



Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/245738/get-ready-for-ios-7-make-your-own-parallax-wallpapers-ios-7-tips/#vxeXKpKsFowfvJEO.99

Tue September 17, 2013 at 3:14 pm

Ben
"10/10"
Great realism, dark colors for less distraction, beautiful.


Tue September 17, 2013 at 10:39 am

robk64
"10"
A magician never reveals his tricks, but it doesn't hurt to ask: How did you do it? I'm a Vue novice (for the last 8 years), Poser Pro and Lightwave user, so I speak some of the language. Just wondering how you put it all together. The only thing I may have tweaked would be weathering the columns by chipping away the perfect corners/edges. You did a step-by-step several years ago, explaining (teaching) how you did the scene with the Saturn-like planet in the background, on the horizon, iceberg-like rock formations in the foreground... it was a great how-to guide that prompted me to try similar images. Always interested in learning new techniques, especially with software advancements.

Mon September 16, 2013 at 10:21 am

robk64
"10"
Excellent work! Been waiting for a realistic render, and this works great. Well done, sir.

Mon September 16, 2013 at 10:11 am

Dale
"10"
My first reaction when I saw this on the main page was "Whoa, Cool!" Then after drinking it in for a few moments, I started thinking about that History Channel show called "Life After People."



Fantastic piece!


Mon September 16, 2013 at 9:32 am

Ryan
"@Ninhalem"

Mon September 16, 2013 at 8:52 am

0beron
"10"
I've complained in the past about grain and noise in your images (especially the natural scenes with light rays through mist). Whatever you did with this one has fixed it - all the light rays are nice and smooth!

Mon September 16, 2013 at 8:23 am

Ninhalem
"10/10"
Most of my coworkers thought someone had taken a photo in England. They thought I was bullsh*tting them when I said it was digitally created. Awesome job.

Mon September 16, 2013 at 7:38 am

Weissherz
"10"
Absolutly breathtaking!

i usually prefer you 'space' or 'abstract' art but this one is just... WOW!

Mon September 16, 2013 at 5:16 am

milamber
"10"
Absolutely stunning, I love this piece! Definitely one of my favourites along with the Highland series and Sierra Autumn. Can't wait to see the fall version!

Sun September 15, 2013 at 7:25 pm

Littlemom
"9"
I love this!!! Love the lighting and everything. Absolutely amazing!!!

Sun September 15, 2013 at 6:37 pm

Drew
"10"
Stunning. Another gem from DB. Thanks for this.

Sun September 15, 2013 at 3:37 pm

Drew
"10"
Stunning. Another gem from DB. Thanks for this.

Sun September 15, 2013 at 3:37 pm

amateria
"10"
It's ridiculously amazing. It evokes the senses ... I am pulled into the image when I look at it, so in addition to knowing what it looks like, I immediately feel like I know what it must smell and feel like to be on that path as well. I'm additionally having fun determining the sounds that might be heard there. :)

Sun September 15, 2013 at 10:37 am

Hodge
"6"
The single screen is great - the dual screen, not so much - the second screen is just railing... this could be so much better as a dual screen, please consider re-visiting it!

Sun September 15, 2013 at 10:18 am

Steve K
"10"
I'm going to go there and say that this is THE BEST natural scene you've ever created!! I just stared at it for about 5 minutes... I WANT TO BE THERE!! Love it :-)

Sat September 14, 2013 at 10:35 pm

Nate F
"6"
To be honest, way too much railing on the multi screen. I love the left screen, but my entire right monitor consists of a tree and a railing. Another post for the second monitor (and I assume the same for three) would really make things more interesting.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm

Blamblazer
"10"
Thank you. That's just the world I needed to live on, for a few moments, to stay sane today. Both renders are real in their own way. Again, thank you!

Sat September 14, 2013 at 8:39 pm

live4space
"10"
Ryan, Welcome back! This is why I am a lifetime member.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 7:56 pm

Mark
"10"
Whoa. WHOA. Not much else to be said.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 7:15 pm

Jason
"9"
One of my fav non-abstract pieces in quite awhile! Awesome job Ryan!

Sat September 14, 2013 at 7:13 pm

Gene
"10"
Homerun... Someone else made the comparison to Satori (2003). I could see it, but not name it. Anyway, very nice. Thanks again Ryan!

Sat September 14, 2013 at 5:36 pm

0beron
"10"
The last 4 wallpapers were stunning stuff, and this one knocks it out of the park again! Just beautiful!

Sat September 14, 2013 at 4:37 pm

Whatts
"You're on a roll"
This reminds me of a holiday in Spain where we visited the González Byass bodega. Looks stunning...

Sat September 14, 2013 at 3:56 pm

Ruth
"10!!"
A new favorite!! Have you thought about doing it in fall and spring, too? You do such fabulous fall colors; it would be awesome! Thanks for all your hard work; you give me something new to look forward all the time! <3

Sat September 14, 2013 at 11:41 am

Sanalith
"10/10"
Absolutely amazing! The lighting and shadow effects just blow my mind!

Sat September 14, 2013 at 11:22 am

Brandi U.
"10/10"
WOW! New favorite of all time. Just stunning.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 10:53 am

Nelson
"Star Wars"
Great work! It reminds me of Star Wars. This could be part of an old Jedi Temple on Yavin 4.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 10:41 am

Ryan
"@Terry"
Definitely ;-)

Sat September 14, 2013 at 9:47 am

Terry
"An Idea..."
Remember what you did last christmas with those lights, it was like a grotto... could that be done to this for a christmas wallpaper?

Sat September 14, 2013 at 9:43 am

Ryan
"@Xeavn"
It should show up now. Thanks!!

Sat September 14, 2013 at 9:19 am

Xeavn
"10/10"
Really like this piece, would love to see a 3840x1200 version.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 8:58 am

Hunter
"10"
The "Highland Spring" of 2013!



This is amazing Ryan, Nice work.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 5:39 am

RO
"10"
My spontanous reaction to this one was WOW!

The atmosphere it captures is incredible.

Sat September 14, 2013 at 1:17 am

Pete
"Incredible"
Your work is always amazing, but this is one of the best I have ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. I would love to see this as a night scene, as well. Your work with glowing flowers always blows me away, and I could see this one also being truly stunning with that as well. Certainly a 10/10 either way, though.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 10:46 pm

doug
"doug"
Already one of my favorites!

Fri September 13, 2013 at 9:19 pm

Tatiana
"9/10"
This is gorgeous, and my only complaint is the out-of-focus pillar on the right because it just looks fake to me. I don't know if that's because of the blurriness or not.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 9:03 pm

Maryann
"Stunning"
So beautiful. How about a rain shower? I actually first thought it was a rain fall, not sun streams, and I would love to see this with a rain element.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 7:57 pm

Anton
"Beautiful..."
This picture actually made we start tearing up when I saw it on the front of your page, it is amazing, I love it so much!

Fri September 13, 2013 at 7:54 pm

rdeforest
"My new favorite"
I'm drawn in by the juxtaposition of color and gray, light and dark, natural and unnatural. Most of your outdoor scenes have a way of suggesting things that are hidden and stories about them, but this one dials that all the way up. What must the rest of the building look like? What does the rest of the forest look like? Is the building abandoned or neglected, or did the caretakers intend for the building and forest to intertwine like that? As soon as the questions occur to me my brain starts permuting all the possible answers it can think of. I find it creatively inspiring.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 6:27 pm

Shelly K.
"Cool..."
I like this. Both with and without the flowers like in the WIP version.:)

Fri September 13, 2013 at 6:15 pm

Nick
"10"
Love this piece. If I could ask for one thing... it would be slightly less light on the path, so that the vines and stones are a little more visible. Still though, breathtaking. I renewed my membership because of this one. The abstracts don't really do it for me. This stuff does.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 5:45 pm

Jenanne
"Lovely composition"
Tranquil, harmonious feeling to this one. Can't wait for the final version.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 5:12 pm

Afya
"Light"
Really lovely scene. I look forward to the autumn version! I third the suggestion of an "after rain" version with soft light.

(I wonder what's on the other side of that high wall...)

Fri September 13, 2013 at 4:07 pm

Deanna
"Peace & Beauty"
Ryan, you never cease to amaze. It looks like we all received a gift for your birthday, as well! Love it, thank you.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 3:24 pm

Ryan
"Re: Fall Version"
There will definitely be an Autumn version. I had that in mind from the start actually ;-)

Fri September 13, 2013 at 1:24 pm

Kelton
"need multi screen"
definitely waiting for the multi screen treatment

Fri September 13, 2013 at 1:20 pm

Russ
"Need a Fall Version"
Ryan I know you are going to do a fall version of this right? The foliage is gone from overhead, more light shines in, lights up the pathway and wall allowing for more detail. The trees just off to the right can carry some brilliant autumn colors. Just a sugestion ;)

Fri September 13, 2013 at 1:10 pm

Zach
"Absolutely a new favourite!"
This piece is beautiful, Ryan. As others have mentioned, it reminds me of some of your earlier works. I really enjoy the smoothness of the scene, and can't wait to see the multiscreen renders. Also, I second Jonathan's idea of a version right after a rain.



Thanks again for your outstanding artwork; keeps me going throughout the week.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 12:59 pm

Jonathan
"Awesome for us too on how you spent you birthday"
I think a version just after a rain might look good too. Just a thought

Fri September 13, 2013 at 12:44 pm

Amadeus
"Love it!"
Love this one, reminds me of a ruined garden I visited in Brazil once... I'll be ordering a canvas as soon as it pops up on Zazzle!!

Fri September 13, 2013 at 12:09 pm

Alec
"Put this one on the fridge"
This is one of your best works so far, very reminiscent of your 2006-ish work. Amazing.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 12:06 pm

Justin B
"My new wallpaper."
Beautiful picture. Looks like it might be leading to or from some vine covered ruins.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 11:32 am

Rich A
"Beauty's in the eye..."
... and in the mind. This immediately made me think of Satori (the 2003 original). Same mood, just perfect.

(The 1600 x 900 render appears to be messed up, however.)

Fri September 13, 2013 at 11:25 am

Randall
"Peaceful, easy feeling"
Love it--another great scene. It looks like it could be in Rivendell.

Fri September 13, 2013 at 11:21 am

Jen
"Beautiful and Serene"
I would love to be walking down this path. It feels ancient and peaceful. Love it!

Fri September 13, 2013 at 10:50 am


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