About Me

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Gainesville, Florida, United States
Astronomy themes, landscapes and public art are some of the targets of my work. These are the best of times as we stand on the threshold of unprecedented discovery in space. As a space artist, I am grateful for and inspired by the amazing images of faraway places that the great telescopes of our generation have given us. As a plein air painter, I am inspired to quickly capture light, color and movement with the focus on our rapidly changing environment. As an artist within the live public art venue I am inspired by the opportunity for creativity, spontaneity and exchange.

9/26/11

9/11 - 9/18/11 IAAA Workshop - Flagstaff, AZ

Just back from an amazing week with the International Association of Astronomical Artists at the 2011 Grand Canyon Workshop.  The event was based in Flagstaff, AZ (elev. 7,000 ft) and featured daily painting, sketching and siteseeing adventures to the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki Ruins, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Red Rocks and Lowell Observatory.  16 artists of the IAAA, including 9 Fellows (and a French documentary film crew) spent 5 days exploring the incredible sites and scenery in northern AZ.  Our time was split between plein air work on site and filling our photographic archives with reference material for future artworks.  The film makers were there to capture our activities as part of a film they are producing on Lucien Rudeaux,  one of the earliest pioneers of space or astronomical art.  I got to meet and work side by side with space art legends Dave Hardy, William K. Hartmann, Michael Carroll and other experts of the genre.  I had the unique opportunity to contribute to a real collaborative piece (each of us painting an equal portion) with these same space artists, a large painting depicting a gas giant planet with its moons rising over a grand canyon on another world of our imaginations somewhere in outer space. 

We logged over 900 miles in our 12 person van followed by 3 more vehicles loaded with more artists and supplies.  The first day at the Grand Canyon, we saw artists perched here and there on various precipice painting lovely little jewels as part of the Grand Canyon Celebration of the Arts, a major plein air event.  By the time we finally arrived at the Grand View to set up and paint everything turned stormy quite quick.  We went back to the GC on the last day and got some good weather and plein air time.  I did 2 paintings, a hoodoo in the canyon and a starry night scene of long ago beyond the Vishnu Temple.

Meteor Crater was an incredible experience.  Driving up on it on the high desert, it looks like a small mountain range spread across the flat landscape.  Getting closer and it is huge!  Then you enter through a museum and you are at then over the rim.  We lucky few were met by and given a very exclusive hiking tour around the rim of Meteor Crater by Dave Kring.  Dave is one of the world's foremost authorities on impact crater geology and Meteor Crater, the world's best preserved impact site.  As we rested on the rim, Dave painted a vivid picture of what happened here 50,000 years ago, how quick and devastating the results of a 30 meter rock flying in incredibly fast from outer space and the impact that turned solid rock into taffy excavating this gigantic crater and impacting the landscape for huge distances all around.  We sat on the rim, sketching and painting, and I did 2 pastels.  Michael Carroll graciously gifted his painting to Dave Kring as a thank you from our group for his time.

Another highlight for me was our trip to Lowell Observatory on Mars Hill overlooking Flagstaff.  We arranged for a special tour after closing from 9 - 11 pm.  We did some observing at the eyepiece of the historic 24" Clark Refractor of M15 and toured the telescope and observatory where Pluto was discovered.  We skipped our plans to travel to the north rim of the GC and Petrified Forest because of the long distances so we visited the Wupatki Ruins and Sedona and Red Rocks which was
closer.

I brought so much back with me from this workshop.  I learned a lot from all the people I spent the week with.  I was happy for the contributions I could make like helping fellow artists who were looking for inspiration, advice or critique.  Looking forward to all the art I intend to create, inspired by this amazing experience!