Eye of the Cosmos

Commission painted on Space Shuttle Discovery bay liner cloth.

Commission: "The Heart of the Lion"

Leo Constellation

October - November 2019

Above image: Posted November 13 - Completed painting.

Leo Constellation is one of the easiest constellations to discern in the night sky, and is one of the earliest recognized constellations since ancient civilization. First cataloged by Ptolemy in the second century, much myth and lore have circulated around Leo Constellation through the ages by numerous cultures. But it is Regulus (Alpha Leonis), the brightest star in Leo, that is the true star of the show in this collaged composition.

Because bright Regulus sits at the chest of the starry beast, it has been immortalized as Leo’s kingly heart. Known as “Little King,” it is one of the brightest stars shining at an apparent magnitude of 1.35. Though Regulus has been looked upon as a champion star throughout history, it wasn’t until the sixteenth century that astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus first documented its regal name.

Represented in two specific areas of this painting, the stars distinct light spectrum (B7 V) emanates in colorful light refraction. In reality Regulus is not one star but part of a multiple star system consisting of Regulus A, Regulus B, and Regulus C as featured in higher detail in the night-sky box at lower left of the painting. Also featured here is the dazzling dwarf galaxy Leo 1 documented as one degree to the right of Regulus.

Below video: Progression images of the beginning stages of painting in Leo.

More progression images to be posted soon.

Apollo 11 Tribute

Posted May 17, 2019

50 years ago humankind made it's most daring leap and left the bonds of Earth to set foot on another celestial body. Its hard to believe its been half a century since Apollo 11 landed on the moon. In celebration of this momentous 50th anniversary I am inspired to pay tribute to all the clever minds and abled bodies that facilitated this grand feat.

There's much symbolism represented in "Giant Leap of Unity". I like to think of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins sitting atop the massive Saturn V lifting toward space carrying with them all the hopes and dreams of the people of Earth.

Seeing Aldrin's iconic pose and the reflection of Armstrong in his helmet always gives me chills. Though we don't see their faces we know who they are and where they are.

Mike Collins is represented in the illustration by the Command Module I included in "APOLLO 11". When I think of Collins I think of his time alone on the back side of the moon, cut off from everyone and everything he was familiar with, cut off from home.

On the left side of the canvas Neil Armstrong's first boot impression mark the moment that all of mankind became unified in one of the greatest achievements ever to be realized throughout history.

The eagle represents all the people behind the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects that led to a manned lunar landing, the fortitude and strength required to achieve the impossible, the keen focus of mind and spirit, and the astounding realization of flight to another world.

Progression images below.

Update: July 4, 2019 - Above image: Completed painting

Above images: Let the fun begin!

"Forevermore"

Posted - April 21, 2019

Updated April 26, 2019 / Completed painting 48" x 36" Acrylic on canvas.

Together, we are Love...within Love, we are Forevermore.

In January of this year, I lost my amazing mother. It has been the worst thing ever to happen to me, a devastating blow to my heart and spirit. Even though her long battle with heart disease made her eventual loss apparent, there was no way to prepare for the depth of grief that landed on me and my family after her passing.

Just a year before my father passed and I was still in the throws of negotiating grief when my mother began her heartbreaking decline in November of 2018. The challenges of this past year took a destructive toll on my creativity. To paint for myself from that familiar wellspring of inspiration and excitement, was gone. That in itself was a scary experience because painting, creating, imagining, have always been my touchstones, my way through challenges, my comforters. They were gone and couldn't be forced back into action. Days, then weeks, then months into carried with it a void.

The tension and sorrow amassed to an unbearable level and one night I surprised myself when I spontaneously walked into my studio, grabbed a large canvas, squeezed gobs of paint onto the pallet and began scribbling away at the canvas with a big fat paint brush and a torrent of emotion. The grief and trauma of loss that had knotted throughout my being were showing up on my canvas. Then, from the gnarled scribbles, sprays of inflamed color erupted looking every bit like a catastrophic storm...a knotted, spitting tempest of paint and brush strokes.

As the days ticked by, remarkably, moments in front of this canvas was causing something to soften within me. I believe by allowing myself to fully experience grief and express it freely helped release a little of the strain of suffering. A tiny bit of buoyancy came back and happier memories of my parents surfaced.

I had no clear direction when I started the painting, I just simply needed to push paint around and allow the composition to develop spontaneously. I was taken by surprise when the illuminated orbs and dove started to emerge from the canvas. It felt as if love flew in to protect my wounded spirit. I'm not sure what the dove represents other than love, perhaps the kind of pure, unconditional love a parent has for a child. As I continued to lay in the detail of its flight and feathers, I understood this experience of loss and the experience of expressing it will forever be a part of me.

As the days passed, each painting session brought about a different level of emotion; sorrow, hurt, breakage, anger, yearning, paralysis of the spirit, memories, so much love, and surprisingly, gratefulness...gratefulness for the awareness of the unconditional love that I have always known from my mom and dad. Gratefulness that I still feel their love in my life even though they are no longer here. I know I have a long way to go in my healing process and will continue to look grief right in the eye and voice its effect on me. And I know I will continue to feel my parents love and protection as I journey onward.

From the four progress samples shared below its easy to follow the process of working through grief with the wonderful tools of creativity. Creativity has been many things in my life, task master, mentor, teacher, counselor, guide, challenger, and now, comforter...and I am grateful. 

R E F L E C T I O N

May 2018

30" x 30" acrylic on canvas. This painting glows brightly in the dark. Its like having the full moon in the room! 

Below image: Phosphorescent medium has been applied to the painting making it glow brightly all night long. Its a wonderfully magic ambient light. The same medium can be applied to canvas prints. Scroll down to see progession images of the development of the painting.

4-16-2018 : This fantastical and unusual rainbow outside my studio window today inspired a great painting session!

"The Racing Heart of the Crab Nebula"

March 2018

Above image: 30" x 40" Acrylic on canvas. Featuring the pulsar star at the heart of the Crab Nebula. The Crab Pulsar spins at an astonishing 30 times a second and is one of only a few pulsars to be viewed optically. The Crab Nebula was first observed and documented by Chinese astronomers in 1054 when a star in the region of the Taurus Constellation went supernova. The supernova was so bright that for several days it could be seen shining brightly during the day.

Reference images used for this composition were from the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.

This movie shows dynamic rings, wisps and jets of matter and antimatter around the pulsar in the Crab Nebula as observed in X-ray light by Chandra (left, blue) and optical light by Hubble (right, red). The movie was made from 7 still images of Chandra and Hubble observations taken between November 2000 and April 2001. To produce a movie of reasonable length the sequence was looped several times, as in looped weather satellite images. The inner ring is about one light year across. Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/ASU/J.Hester et al.; Optical: NASA/HST/ASU/J.Hester et al.

The above progression images show the development of filament textures, and the dynamics of the pulsar star. Trying to imagine the pulsar's light filtering through the filaments and also render a sense of movement was a challenge. This composition reminds me of a swimming through a tropical reef as sunlight filtering through the waters surface.

"Patterns of the Universe"

Progression of an Abstract Painting

Posted November 2017

40" x 30" Acrylic on canvas: The inspiration for this piece begins with contemplation on the action and effects of thought. As this studio session came to a close I paced a few steps back from the canvas to investigate the work. I found that the intricate red filaments reminded me of similar patterns seen throughout nature, such as the construction of tree limbs or leaf veins, neural networks of the brain and the billions of galaxies that collect in immense filaments and veins throughout the cosmos.

Above image: Completed abstract painting December 2017. 

Above image: Phase 3 brought out more construction within the filament field. The added magenta, yellow, purple, blues and teals are beginning to provide a "push-pull" effect and create a dimensional quality.

Above image: Second studio session brought out dimensional highlights and under colors that contrast that fabulous red.

I like the way the subject is beginning to fill the canvas. 

Above image: The first phase produced an energetic abstract foundation to build upon.

↑ Above image: Scale is everything! The 60" x 48" canvas makes this a VERY fun composition to work on.

Images below will show painting progression. More images to be posted as the project develops.

↑ Above image: Completed painting May 6, 2016. Not only does Jupiter dominate our solar system but also this canvas! To keep Europa from getting lost amidst the giant scale of flowing bands of Jupiter I decided on a heavier shadowed limb. Now Europa owns its own space within this composition and pops to the forefront at first glance. 

↑ Above image: Detail in the bands is coming along nicely. Now where to place Europa? Or maybe I'll also include Io or Callisto orbiting behind Europa. I cut out and painted mock-moons to play around with placement ideas. Once I'm happy with the layout I'll paint them in.

Above image: Beginning stage.

  ↑ Above image: Reference concept I created in Photoshop using NASA images.

M O M E N T U M

48" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

The image below the painting is how the painting appears in the dark. The intensity of the glow is determined by the amount of exposure to light the painting receives before the lights go out.

L I G H T D A N C E

16" x 20" acrylic on canvas.

The image on the right is how the painting appears in the dark. The intensity of the glow is determined by the amount of exposure to light the painting receives before the lights go out. Once your eyes have adjusted to the dark sit back and enjoy the dreamy glow of the aurora.

VINEYARD / NEBULA COMMISSION

Commission - Nebula/Vineyard composition - 48" x 60" acrylic on canvas

This unique commission was requested by a couple who are happy owners of a vineyard in California's Shenandoah Valley. They're also passionate about astronomy, hiking mountain trails and traveling to beautiful settings around the world. They've combined their interests to create a very personal composition. The large scale of the canvas (48" x 60") and the highly detailed features have made this one of the most challenging paintings I've ever approached. I've deeply enjoyed this project knowing that it touches upon subjects that are special and personal to my customers lives.

Below image: Rough concept created in photoshop using the Eagle Nebula imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope and vine photos.

Scroll down to view painting progression images.  

↓ 80% complete- Detailing entire composition. Almost finished!

The next phase will add lively star sparkles and translucent color washes over the nebula to create the ghostly veils of gas clouds as seen in the Hubble reference image above. The color washes will help harmonize the whole of the nebula with the soft glow of magentas and lemon/lime tints. Also, more detailing, highlighting and shadowing in the in the grape vines and leaves will be added.

↓ Detailing leaves, grapes and trunks.

↓ 30% complete. Beginnings of nebula luminosity and star placement starting to come into focus.

First phase of mountain details applied. 

↓ Detail

↓ 10% complete. Chalk grid applied to canvas to scale to aid in accuracy of composition layout

↓ 1st Stage - Rough layout washes. 

 Tapestry of Time

Posted Jan. 6, 2015: Acrylic on canvas / 40" x 30". Progression photos below.  

↑ "Tapestry of Time" / complete.

↑ Detail: The peak of the mountain symbolizes the proverbial monk on the mountaintop in search

of enlightenment, or the person that seeks knowledge about how the universe came into being.

Such a person might discover 'the eternal now', liberation of the razor's edge, or perhaps they

are gifted a rare moment of realization that all things within the Universe are interconnected.

Progression from start to finish. ↓  

↑ Phase 7 - Snow and fog detail. Almost finished

↑ Phase 6 - 75% complete. Ready to start adding snow in foreground.

↑ Phase 5 - Added a mountain side to left foreground to create a dramatic sweep as

the eye moves into the scene toward the highest peak in the background.

↑ Phase 3- Laying in Milky Way details & mountain texture.

↑ Phase 2 - Working in tone and details.

↑ Phase 1 - Laying in rough concept.

THE LONGEST NIGHT

Posted September 8, 2014: 36" x 30" Acrylic on canvas. Progression photos below.

Q: What does the year 2094 have to do with this painting?

To find out, scroll down below the image and read how spontaneity

transported me into the future...

↑ Phase 4 / 75% complete: Detailing under water movement of fur and bubbles.

The joy of discovery through spontaneous techniques: I feel great delight in throwing big globs of pigments onto a canvas and pushing the colors around until I find something hidden within the brush strokes. That's the fun of spontaneous painting, you never know where it will take you. When I saw the hint of the bear's presence I knew I'd be embarking on an unusual composition and just maybe even an interesting story. If you scroll down to the bottom of this post to the "Phase 1" sample you'll see how this technique begins to take shape in the sketchy layout of a polar bear swimming at night, maybe a star scape could be added, or the rise and fall of distant glaciers could be placed along the horizon, or maybe just the solitary bear will dominate the canvas. At this stage I didn't know where the composition was going nor had I developed a story line. But I knew as I continued painting that the story would reveal its own voice in its own time. As the scene became more and more in focus I felt a sense of excitement in getting to know my new friend the lone polar bear. I was anxious to see how his story would take shape. His story continues to open, layer by layer, by asking obvious questions: Why is the bear alone? Where is he going? How long has he been swimming? Is he in search of something, perhaps a new home? What has given him that look of seemingly peaceful resolve?

Every question I addressed circled me back to that peaceful aloneness permeating the scene. I realized this element might be the unexpected charisma that draws the viewer in. Because of this I was reluctant to add the moon as the bear seemed quite serene in his solitude and it occurred to me that the moon's presence would feature as a friendly companion on such a singular night. But in the end I desired to see a light source outline the bear's movement and shimmer on the surface of the sea, so the moon I decided, would indeed accompany him. I was resolute that it be a bright full moon happening on a special night, the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. Through that vein of reasoning the title had arrived!

I researched lunar phases and learned that the next full moon happening during the winter solstice is in the year 2094. How wonderfully unexpected! The story takes place decades into the future!

I couldn't help but drift along the currents of time and imagined what the world will be like 80 years from now and what challenges creatures such as polar bear might be facing as their environment warms and disappears into the ocean. Perhaps "The Longest Night" speaks about much more than a peaceful swim during a moonlit winter's night...  

↑ Phase 2 - Working up detail and lighting.

↑ Phase 1 - Finding the bear within the paint strokes and working out color and composition.

Scroll down to view progression phases. Updates will be posted as the painting develops.

↑ Almost finished

↑ Phase 4 - 75% complete: Adding details in star explosion and gases. Layering light and dark washes to add depth.

↓ Detail close up.

The next phase will add even more ambient light, rays and reflections. Bring your sunglasses! 

↑ Phase 3 - 40% complete. Layering in details, contrast and highlights. It's starting to look dynamic!

↑ Phase 2 - 25% complete. Laying in first layers of details.

↑ Phase 1 - rough foundation layout.

Posted Feb. 16, 2013: The below image is one of the reference photos I used for my painting of the galaxy M106.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble Heritage Team, R. Gendler. (Scroll down to follow the progression of the painting in process.)

 M106 is a swirling, spewing, gobbling galaxy that hooked my attention upon first glance. I found the newly processed image while perusing Robert Gendler's gorgeous astronomy images on his site. It was just a coincindence that NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day featured that very image the next day: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130206.html . Once it hit public access, the image became an instant hot topic on the internet. And you can see why. I need not mention the beauty of this beast, but I can't help it, I must, it is glowing gorgeousness! This galaxy has a lot going on, around 80'000 light-years across, it's supermassive black hole has an overactive appetite and is devouring hordes of material. And then there's those bright, red hot, gaseous arms reaching out mis-aligned with the rest of the rotating disk. These are glowing hot hydrogen most likely heated by material that's falling into it's supermassive black hole. Astronomer Phil Plait posted an enjoyable detailed description of the dynamics happening in M106, link to Plait's post on SLATE.com below:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2013/02/05/spiral_galaxy_m106_a_galaxy_zapped_by_its_own_black_hole.html

March, 3, 2103 - Below: A quick photo of completed painting. See in gallery.

Scroll down to see progression from start to current stage.

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Middle Stone Age Dwellers

Posted January 26, 2013: On the coastal cliffs of Mossel Bay, South Africa, evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 160,000 years ago has been discovered in 28 different archaeological sites. These caves systems are part of a beautiful outcropping peninsula called Pinnacle Point, where excavations have taken place since 2000, to date overseen by paleoanthropologist's, Curtis Marean. These sites have unearthed significant secrets of some of our earliest ancestors, perhaps the first people to adapt to living by the sea, sustaining their daily lives with shellfish, fish, seals, and other marine life. Artifacts from these sites have revealed that modern behavior might have taken place some 30,000 years early than previously believed!

Learn more about the ancient people of Pinnacle Point: http://www.paleoanthro.org/journal/content/PA200407014.pdf

Over the years my interests in anthropology and paleoanthropology have strangely affixed to my space interests. For me, the two subjects align to define one single journey, a long, complex journey that man has been engaged in for many thousands of years; a journey from Earth to the stars. I often think about our early ancestors and what they must have thought when looking up on the immense bejeweled territory of the night sky where the mighty presence of the Milky Way cast down the subtle glow of starlight. When did the ancient calling begin that set man's course to eventually journey off the planet? Perhaps the first cosmic whispers beckoned us on an ancient night so clear the stars seemed to pulse with life. From stone tools to rocket-ships, we fashion the history of our future. How far into the universe can we roam?

Below: Feb.1, 2013, painting complete. Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36" 

Below: Mid stage, a good start.

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The Brush Strokes of Star Birth

(title credit Phil Plait)

Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 48" - SOLD

The Brush Strokes of Star Birth is a rendering of a gorgeous nebula, catalog# Sharpless 2-106, more commonly referred to as S106. S106 is a star forming region located in the constellation Cygnus, a dynamic nebula stretching approximately two light years across, which is small when compared to the famous Orion Nebula M42 that stretches about 24 light years across. The bright star in the middle of the nebula surrounded by a cocoon of 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 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.

Note of interest: How did this painting get its title you ask? Famed astronomer/blogger Phil Plait featured this painting on his blog Bad Astronomy on 9/17/12, link here. He titled the post, you guessed it, "The Brush Strokes of Star Birth." How appropriate! So, how could I name this piece anything else?

Scroll down to view a progression of the painting process from start to finish. 

 Above image posted 9/12/12: Painting complete.

Below image: The Hubble Space Telescope image that I'm using for my reference.

Below 5 images: Progression from start to current stage.

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Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 36" - SOLD

Posted April, 27, 2012

Artist note: The progression sampled below exemplifies how dramatically a spontaneous piece can change from start to finish. I had no real plans for the overall composition, I simply knew I wanted to tell a story of the steadfast determination it takes to pursue dreams, and I knew I wanted to tell that story through the wildness of spirited horses, the beauty of brilliant light and the power that fuels the freedom to dream. The only element that I intentionally planned was the one thing that was eventually removed, a light source at the top left of the canvas. Early on it became clear that this ball of light was too dominate, pushed viewing to the back of the scene and overwhelmed the main subject of the horses splashing through the starry landscape. By removing the dynamic light, the eye is drawn to the movement and horses in the forefront, and the imagination is free to roam beyond the canvas borders to whatever remarkable realm these steeds are running toward.

Spontaneous pieces like this one often develop in a method comparable to working with clay, a technique of "putting in" and "taking out" elements until a natural flow begins to takes shape. Once the subject is teased out of the abstract foundation, a painting can seem to take off on its own. I balance between spontaneity and personal influence over a composition and at times this process can feel similar to taking an expedition into a mysterious land, where one relies on intuitive wit to get through the journey, and finds themselves awed at the discovery of the unexpected along the way. It can be thrilling, joyous, exhausting, educational, disappointing, underestimated, astounding, blissful, consuming, instinctual, addictive, a harsh mentor, a stampede of gifts. And when such a painting is completed I hope to take my viewers with me, away from the tedium of daily routine, and into the exciting realms of the unknown where anything is possible.

Scroll down to see progression. 

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  Signature of the Universe

Completed January 8, 2012 (Scroll down to see progression start to current phase.) 

   " O r i g i n s "

Completed September 6, 2011. Scroll down to see progression series.

Progression series:

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         M101 Pinwheel Galaxy

Acrylic on canvas, 36" 48" - SOLD

Scroll down to see progression series.

Click image to enlarge

      S p a c e S h u t t l e E n d e a v o u r

Link to "Holding One Of My Dreams," the story of how this painting was inspired.   

March 30, 2011 - Space Shuttle Endeavour: Finished work 20" x 16" ↑

March 25, 2011- Space Shuttle Endeavour: Mid stage ↓

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   M42 Orion Nebula

The Inspiration: Hubble Space Telescope image - Orion Nebula M42   

To learn more go to: http://hubblesite.org/gallery/behind_the_pictures/meaning_of_color/index.php

Learn more about the Orion Nebula: http://hubblesite.org/search/?query=Orion+Nebula+M42&x=0&y=0

3/1/11 ↓ Finished painting 48" x 36" Acrylic on canvas - SOLD

Work In Progress↓

4/20/2010 ↑ The beginning stages of my painting of Orion Nebula.

5/12/2010 ↓ Mid stage.  

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       "Celestial Lotus"

5/18/2010 A Celestial Abstract: I often have several pieces in progress at the same time. Paintings such as this abstract are created during by my "free flow" moods and generate new techniques and concepts. It is an exercise that often prepares me for the works that require a more deliberate approach, such as referenced renderings like the Orion Nebula sampled above.

It is a mystery how this celestial flower will look when finished. There are no premeditated intentions and plenty of opportunity for spontaneous possibilities. That is the joy behind this technique of painting!

7/7/10 Completed painting "Celestial Lotus" 12" x 24" acrylic on canvas

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Portrait Commission: Micha & Java

What I learned from this child...story posted below.

One day while visiting a local park the mother of this beautiful child captured a timeless moment between her little boy and his best friend (see reference photo below). The father was so taken by the ethereal quality of the photo that he quietly commissioned this portrait and presented it to his surprised wife on Christmas day.

This commission holds a very special place in my heart. It represents family bond, simpler times and a sense of sanctuary. I was pleasantly reminded of what it is like to look at the world through the eyes of a child, it is captivating and magical. As I worked on the composition I kept wondering what do they see? I know what I see off in the distance, an ordinary landscape, shadows, light, grass, trees. But what does the child and his furry companion perceive in this scene? Does the sunlight dancing upon the grass or the animated shadows under the trees enchant them with wonderment? This child took me back in time and retaught me to look upon my world as if it were the first time I have seen anything like it, and it is magical and it is captivating and I am grateful for my renewed vision.

The parents were considerate enough to send the snapshot (above) - the painting framed and installed in their home - and yes, their wall really is that gorgeous warm color!

Reference photo↓

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International Association of

Astronomical Artists

You can also see Lucy's work at the following NASA sites:

http://kepler.nasa.gov/

Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory Operations

http://ciclops.org

Lucy's work is also featured on

Discover Magazine by

@BadAstronomer - Phil Plait

'The Brush Strokes of Star Birth'

and featrued in Plait's

2012 Best Astronomy Images

posted in SLATE.com

Astronomer Without Borders

Interview

The Art of Space

Find Lucy's work featured in

Ron Miller's beautiful book,

"The Art of Space"

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