Though it may be a niche that few art lovers are aware of, there exists a glorious abundance of wonderful astronomy and spaceflight inspired art. The best of such art can convey the marvels of the cosmos and the excitement of space exploration far more vividly and viscerally than photographs or videos. Most people encounter such works not in galleries but in the illustrations to space related books, magazines and websites.
To this vast oeuvre, it would be extremely difficult for me to bring anything new to depictions of rocket launches and spacecraft in orbit. So I decided to go in a different direction and combine my desire to improve my drawing skills with my interest in the NewSpace movement.
NewSpace refers to the entrepreneurial space ventures that are making great strides towards lowering the cost of getting to space so that humanity can expand into our solar system and bring life to dead worlds. I have been following developments in this area since the late 1990s and I am currently the Managing Editor of the site NewSpace Watch.
In the trompe-l’œil works displayed here, I document some of the events and accomplishments of this NewSpace era with a combination of snapshots, memorabilia and occasional whimsy.