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L U C Y W E S T S T U D I O S
F I N E A R T & C O M M I S S I O N S /
Space Art Gallery
The Brush Strokes of Star Birth / 2012 (title credit Phil Plait)
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SOLD / Original $3,500 / Acrylic on canvas 30" x 48" / Prints available. Featured in Ron Miller's celebrated book, "The Art of Space". Featured on Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy/Discover Magazine blog 2012. Chosen for Phil Plait's 2012 Best Astronomy Images / Slate Magazine. 'The Brush Strokes of Star Birth' takes 1st place in 'Space and Astronomy Art Contest' held in Fine Art America, October 2012. Description: The Brush Strokes of Star Birth is a rendering of a nebula cataloged as Sharpless 2-106. It is gorgeous star-forming region located in the constellation Cygnus, a dynamic nebula stretching approximately two light years across, which is small in comparison to the famous Orion Nebula M42 that stretches approximately 24 light years across. The bright star in the middle of the nebula surrounded by a cocoon of hourglass-shaped dark gases is definitely the "star" of the show. It's newly born energy is so intense that it has heated up the surrounding gases to 10,000 degrees Celsius causing them to glow in seemingly winged beauty. When I discovered the Hubble Space Telescope wide field image of S-106 IR, I couldn't take my eyes off the amazing little powerhouse. I was compelled to learn more about it and render it on canvas. Many thanks to astronomer Nick Howes for sharing his image of Sh2-106 which I also used for reference while working on this piece. Progression of the canvas work can be viewed at "In The Studio". © Copyright 2012 Lucy West / All Rights Reserved. Contact Lucy West for information regarding image use.
| Posted on September 14, 2012 | Slideshow |
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9 Comments
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Thomaswag
7:07 PM on March 6, 2018
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If you want to live in France and spend your life there you should select a proper house. French property is not cheap and you need to make a major investment. You must also know about the properties for sale in France at various locations. The houses for sale in France come in different prices depending on the location
The Brush Strokes of Star Birth receives a mention in SLATE.com via Phil Plait's post, 'The Best Astronomy Images of 2012' - thanks Phil!
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astronomy/20
12/12/best_astronomy_images_2012_see_the_most_beautiful_images_of
_the_universe.html
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/bad_astronomy/20
12/12/best_astronomy_images_2012_see_the_most_beautiful_images_of
_the_universe.html
Thanks Johnny, that's a nice thought 
Lucy
Lucy
johnny says...
I didn't read all of the comments, but did anyone see this spectacular sight as in the form of what we perceive angels to look like: This is sooooo majestic in appearance!
Reply
johnny
6:42 AM on December 28, 2012
I didn't read all of the comments, but did anyone see this spectacular sight as in the form of what we perceive angels to look like: This is sooooo majestic in appearance!
Mario John Borgatti,
Your message is quite special to me and I'm very touched by what you see in my work. I can't find the words to tell you how much I appreciate your insights and refined ability to communicate with artful eloquence.
From one artist to another, thank you, my friend.
Lucy
Your message is quite special to me and I'm very touched by what you see in my work. I can't find the words to tell you how much I appreciate your insights and refined ability to communicate with artful eloquence.
From one artist to another, thank you, my friend.
Lucy
Mario John Borgatti says...
Hi Lucy,
What an grand feast for the mind and eye you've created in this absolutely sublime painting, Sharpless 2-106. It held me spellbound as I perused the minute details, so perfectly executed, and their relationship to the stellar nursery you've meticulously recreated. That any artist could create such a spectacular image with acrylic medium on canvas might be incomprehensible to some---but not to those who have had the pleasure of viewing your prior work.
You have so many incredibly beautiful and expressive past works to your credit. I have to believe that you, like any artist, must entertain the fundamental question: What's next, is my best work yet to come? As long as an artist lives and breathes it's a question not easily answered. One of my favorite quotes, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, is remarkable in that it describes you perfectly: "The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands." I know of no other person who is more representative of daVinci's "painter" than you. Your body of work is a testament to that.
I read Phil Plait's excellent article, and I noted his challenge to the reader. I really don't know how I feel regarding the "Tell Me" question. As an artist I always consider the subject as a point of reference between eye and hand. Interpretation, being personal, can produce endless and complex variations. To my way thinking the camera's lens is a poor substitute for the human eye. So, when I compare both images of Sharpless 2-106 in the article, I see a photograph---and a work of art.
That Hubble image, as wonderful and as expensive as it is, is still just that---a photo. However, Your painting of this image shows a reverence for the subject matter as purely as Leonardo did with his Mona Lisa. Comparing your painting to a Hubble image is an interesting exercise, but I think it's more about capturing the fleeting essence of the subject at a brief moment in time...And that, you've accomplished masterfully!
Your good friend,
Mario
Ryan,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your very kind message. I appreciate you visit
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your very kind message. I appreciate you visit
Ryan says...
I came here via Phil Plait's article on the year's best astronomy images on Salon, and WOW. You've managed to take something as breathtakingly ethereal as the birth of a star and turn it into a photorealistic painting that's so incredible it made me want to write this comment and tell you how amazing your work is! A brush belongs in your hand like a baby star belongs in a nebula.
Reply
Ryan
6:30 AM on December 22, 2012
I came here via Phil Plait's article on the year's best astronomy images on Salon, and WOW. You've managed to take something as breathtakingly ethereal as the birth of a star and turn it into a photorealistic painting that's so incredible it made me want to write this comment and tell you how amazing your work is! A brush belongs in your hand like a baby star belongs in a nebula.
Hi Lucy,
What an grand feast for the mind and eye you've created in this absolutely sublime painting, Sharpless 2-106. It held me spellbound as I perused the minute details, so perfectly executed, and their relationship to the stellar nursery you've meticulously recreated. That any artist could create such a spectacular image with acrylic medium on canvas might be incomprehensible to some---but not to those who have had the pleasure of viewing your prior work.
You have so many incredibly beautiful and expressive past works to your credit. I have to believe that you, like any artist, must entertain the fundamental question: What's next, is my best work yet to come? As long as an artist lives and breathes it's a question not easily answered. One of my favorite quotes, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, is remarkable in that it describes you perfectly: "The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands." I know of no other person who is more representative of daVinci's "painter" than you. Your body of work is a testament to that.
I read Phil Plait's excellent article, and I noted his challenge to the reader. I really don't know how I feel regarding the "Tell Me" question. As an artist I always consider the subject as a point of reference between eye and hand. Interpretation, being personal, can produce endless and complex variations. To my way thinking the camera's lens is a poor substitute for the human eye. So, when I compare both images of Sharpless 2-106 in the article, I see a photograph---and a work of art.
That Hubble image, as wonderful and as expensive as it is, is still just that---a photo. However, Your painting of this image shows a reverence for the subject matter as purely as Leonardo did with his Mona Lisa. Comparing your painting to a Hubble image is an interesting exercise, but I think it's more about capturing the fleeting essence of the subject at a brief moment in time...And that, you've accomplished masterfully!
Your good friend,
Mario
What an grand feast for the mind and eye you've created in this absolutely sublime painting, Sharpless 2-106. It held me spellbound as I perused the minute details, so perfectly executed, and their relationship to the stellar nursery you've meticulously recreated. That any artist could create such a spectacular image with acrylic medium on canvas might be incomprehensible to some---but not to those who have had the pleasure of viewing your prior work.
You have so many incredibly beautiful and expressive past works to your credit. I have to believe that you, like any artist, must entertain the fundamental question: What's next, is my best work yet to come? As long as an artist lives and breathes it's a question not easily answered. One of my favorite quotes, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, is remarkable in that it describes you perfectly: "The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands." I know of no other person who is more representative of daVinci's "painter" than you. Your body of work is a testament to that.
I read Phil Plait's excellent article, and I noted his challenge to the reader. I really don't know how I feel regarding the "Tell Me" question. As an artist I always consider the subject as a point of reference between eye and hand. Interpretation, being personal, can produce endless and complex variations. To my way thinking the camera's lens is a poor substitute for the human eye. So, when I compare both images of Sharpless 2-106 in the article, I see a photograph---and a work of art.
That Hubble image, as wonderful and as expensive as it is, is still just that---a photo. However, Your painting of this image shows a reverence for the subject matter as purely as Leonardo did with his Mona Lisa. Comparing your painting to a Hubble image is an interesting exercise, but I think it's more about capturing the fleeting essence of the subject at a brief moment in time...And that, you've accomplished masterfully!
Your good friend,
Mario
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