Celestial Spirits new 2023

The Night Sky has been an obsession of mine for the longest time. This project had its nascent beginnings long ago when I would sit out under the stars, observing meteor showers, full moons, and other wonders. I am well-versed in the science of it which is incredible, but its the beauty and eternal mystery that keeps me intrigued.

This 10 year project started with the concept of painting all of the 88 constellations of both the northern and southern hemisphere. It took me a year of research, then a year to draw and paint it on a metal panel using gouache paint. The finished painting was then professionally photographed and digitized. From there, I put it into a computer and used Photoshop to stylize it further. I wound up with many different variations of the piece until I had to step away for a my sanity, that respite was 12 years long. I found that doing computer work was too abstract and unsatisfying. As I stepped away from the digital I got back into sculpting where I got reacquainted with the tactile hands-on approach of doing work, this is still my favorite creative outlet. I recently dug up the old Celestial file and did some final updating tweaks and registered the work at the Copyright office. Soon only sections of it will be offered as limited edition prints, with artist hand embellishments as I create them- they will be listed on the For Sale page.

Someday I hope to print the entire piece as a giant mural on the side of a building this would be super cool. It may be a future project with the employing of a billboard company to put it up…