Paintings: Other Worlds

ON THE MOON

(Oil on wood panel, 4 inches in diameter, 2021)

Porthole frame, 6.5 inches in diameter

We landed on the impact melt floor of a crater on the Moon and looked back at the Earth out our porthole window. Our rocketship was now quiet, its long shadow lined by a glory of scattered light from the cloud of condensed water still enveloping the ship.

EXCEPT EUROPA

(Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 20 inches, 2020)

A rocketship from Earth has come to rest on one of Europa's narrow lineae. Unbeknownst to its crew, an enormous creature lurks under the thinner ice.

In Arthur C. Clarke's sci-fi novel 2010: ODYSSEY TWO, humanity had been warned: "All these worlds are yours. Except Europa. Attempt no landing there."

But sure enough, we still landed there.

Big mistake.

Is there life on Jupiter's moon Europa? Underneath its fractured 20 km thick H2O ice crust lies an abyssal ocean 100 km deep. 100 km! Earth's Mariana Trench is only 11 km deep. I wonder what might be living inside Europa.

SATURN FROM TITAN

(Oil on stretched canvas, 12 x 12 inches, 2020)

Saturn appears in Titan's equatorial sky during a rare break in the moon's thick organic haze. As methane rain showers recede into the distance, a transient lake of methane, dissolved nitrogen, and ethane forms. The methane and nitrogen soon evaporate, leaving behind precipitated ethane ice which slowly sublimates. Just another balmy tropical afternoon at T~-180°C (-292°F) on Titan...

I am working with remote interns on the evolution and exploration of Titan this summer. The research is inspiring new artwork.

EARTH-MOON SYSTEM

(Acrylic on board, 40 x 6.5 inches, 2004)

I wanted to show how far and small our Moon actually is in relation to the Earth. This painting depicts the Earth-Moon system to scale.