Space Art; the Wonder of it All!

One such master is Pat Rawlings, who is sot after by many space agencies to create conceptual space art about new missions to far-off planets. Pat is considered a member of an elite group of designers, engineers and scientists who create space art -- the surreal, yet technically accurate, images of astronauts and spacecraft exploring newfound landscapes. By combining a love of technology and a talent for illustration, Pat has continued a career that inspires the masses.

He creates images based on scientific and technical themes that appeal to both rocket scientists and regular folk. His extraterrestrial “snapshots” of future events give viewers a sense of “being there” as explorers hop from one world to the next using the best technology of the 21st century. His desire to travel in space and time motivate him to make scenes as accurate as possible. He continues to consult with numerous space experts around the country, and uses hand-built and computer models, topographical maps, and space and family vacation photos to mentally create his worlds. “Space art,” says the artist, “provides me with an excuse to talk to some of the most interesting people in the country, build miniature models of space ships, and then sit in my studio painting or working on the computer for hours while listening to movie soundtracks and classical music.”

NASA, as well as other government and commercial space agencies have been using space artists’ renderings for years to educate the public and excite politicians about space travel. There is nothing like a picture when trying to reach the public. It can be magical when viewing what a vehicle might look like in its environment for the first time. This kind of emotional drive can be very helpful in gaining public support for future space travel development.

Another artist that has inspired me with his paintings is Mark Waki. Now he hits closer to home for me. Although I have never met him, he is employed at the same Aerospace company that I left to develop my career on the Internet. As a matter of fact, I was given one of his paintings, very nicely framed, as a going away present. I have it hanging in my office now. I used to see his paintings hanging in many places around the plant and always had to stop and take them in for a minute or two. More of his work can be seen at his website, www.markwaki.com.

Astronomical and space artists need to be good in areas like geology, chemistry, physics, astronomy and of course engineering. They go to places on Earth that may be geologically analogous to places on other planets. Artists have been known to visit clean rooms to get a first hand view of space hardware in the making. They need to be well versed enough to talk with the scientists and engineers about the technical aspects of the spacecraft hardware. If an artist misses a detail -- or worse yet, gets something wrong -- he or she is certain to hear about it from one of the engineers or scientists who examine the illustration before it is completed.

I have found one site, which supplies a superior collection of space art that I highly recommend. They have a multitude of selections and I do believe any one of them would enhance your art wall as well as your imagination. If this is something you are interested in or have been searching for awhile to find, I suggest you take a minute and click on over and browse. Be sure to come back here though. You don’t want to miss my second page on space art.

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