Category Archives: Astronomy paintings

Magnetic Reconnection – view from Porth Mellion Cairn Tresco February 2023

Magnetic Reconnection – view from Porth Mellin Cairn Tresco February 2023

 

After seeing the Aurora in Iceland in 2023 the artist saw them again on Tresco Ynysek Syllan (Isles of Scilly) February 2023 and again in March 2024 and again on Brechiek Ynysek Syllan in March and again on September 13th 2023. All different all amazing experiences

The artwork is a response to nature, painted outside and finished in the studio. The painting explores our connection with nature, more than that, it explores landscape and seascape in the broader context of how weather systems develop that the sun drives the climate, It is about interconnection, philosophically it is an attempt to impress upon the viewer that we are not a separate creation from nature. That our consiousness, our self awareness evolved out of the same laws of nature that govern the evolution of the universe. From this philosophical point of view arises the paradigm that consciousness is the universe becoming self aware, holding a metaphorical mirror up to itself and asking the question what am I ….. Then the choice of how we treat nature arises. As we are nature it is in reality about how we treat ourselves, each other and nature.

On a clear night away from light poluted skies the human eye can see between 1.600 and 5000 stars, estimates differ according to different sources, however the darker the sky and the less light polution the more you can see. In this painting I have placed 3800 individual stars including various constellations and the galaxy was very prominent. Everything is painted from observation using averted vision and memory …..

 

Magnetic Reconnection - view from Porth Mellin Cairn Tresco February 2023

Magnetic Reconnection – view from Porth Mellin Cairn Tresco February 2023

 

New painting ‘Magnetic Reconnection’ oil on canvas 152.5 x 152.5 cm 2023

This is my first painting in a series of the Aurora Borealis. In 2023 my son and I cycle toured Iceland for 3 months. We saw the Aurora in several places each time different, they were all amazing experiences. This is from one of the places we camped – Hveravellir as we cycled across Iceland for the second time of this tour. The artwork also includes several constellations placed as accurately as possible including the crescent Moon So this artwork is in two paintings, a diptych of sorts, being much larger and not hinged. The paintings are hung together with a small gap between
‘Magnetic Reconnection’ oil on canvas 152.5 x 152.5 cm 2023, íslenska hjólaferð 

Magnetic Reconnection. Oil on canvas 2023 £5280

Artist in Residence January 13th – 3rd February 2022 Gallery Tresco Tresco Isles of Scilly

Theia oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022

 

Theia oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022. £3400. Started summer 2021 and finished January 2022 as part of my artist in residence at Gallery Tresco Tresco Isles of Scilly Cornwall 2022

  This painting grew in the making, and became more than just a single work of art. My interest in astronomy and mythology continues to inform the work I do to an ever increasing level, and mid summer 2021, after several long and difficult weeks working on the Garrison campsite, Aaron and I had the chance to visit Samson, one of the uninhabited Islands which we had been waiting to visit for quite some time, I was intrigued as the Island has ruins that date back around 4000 years and I wanted to visit the buriel chambers. One of the the members of staff here has ancestors that were inhabitents of Samson many years ago. To have that connection is fascinating and I was looking foward to this visit with anticipation. As it happens we had good weather and again the Moon was in the sky, and the ideas for paintings as always where instantly filling my thoughts. That evening we  were relaxing over a few beers and some food. It was a glorious summer evening. That lovely king’s Blue of the sky, long wispy sirus clouds streaking across the sky and their framed in the sky by these clouds – the waxing gibous Moon. The atmosphere was clear and it was easy to pick out several large features on the surface of the Moon including mare serenitatis, mare tranquillitatis, Mare Crisum, mare fecuditatis, Plato crator was just about discernable as was Tycho crater, Mare Firgoris, mare imbrium, and mare nubium. The Moon as always is captivating and the conversation faded for me at this point as I just stared at the Moon. It always fascinates me as it seems to be there in complete calm and absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy in which Arthur Dent asks the wise old bird in exaspiration what is keeping the cup in the sky from falling, and the wise old bird replies ‘art’ that it is artistically correct. The Moon always seems to have in a far more serious way that feeling of being in absolute harmony, perfectly placed, artistically correct. Call it a feeling of awe and beauty and connection with nature. As always when I observe I draw upon a wealth of knowledge gained over many years and I start to rumage through what I can remeber of the names of the surface features, the history of the Apollo missions, humans landing on the Moon, and the theories of how the Moon formed, that as moons of the solar system go, in comparison to other moons and there parent bodies the Moon is exceptional in it’s size compared to the Earth…… During my contemplation of the Moon, visiting Samson and in the  evening I considered once again the origin of the Moon, oddly I had been reading a new article on this subject involving a collision between the proto Earth and a Mars sized proto plant named Theia billions of years ago. Hence the Title ‘Daughter of Theia’ and that evidence for Theia or whats left of Theia are buried deep inside our planet. So there I was sitting contemplating that deep beneath me were the remnants of Theia and above was the Moon both consequences of that immense collision, and that those remnants deep in the Earth also cause the Atlantic magnetic anomaly…….. And at the same time the reasons for the title of this painting are also intimately linked to the naming of ‘Theia’ and the mythological stories behind Theia, which are fascinating. In greek mythology Theia was the Titan goddess of sight, (thea) and the shining aithre (ether) of the bright blue sky and right there we have the first visual connections as Selene one of the three children of Theia is the orginal name for the Moon, hence the title Daughter of Theia and the observers gaze is directed towards the Moon in this painting. The bright blue of the sky is representative of Theia – goddess of the deep blue of the sky. Theia also in mythology endowed silver and gold with their brilliance and lustre and so the bright silver luster of the Moon is also a direct reference to the goddess Theia. It is the focal point as it was mine on that evening – Theia bore the titan Hyperion three children Helios – the Sun, Eos – the dawn, and of course Selene the Moon.

The three children of Theia are also implicitly though indirectly in this painting. The painting has no particular refernce to being a dawn or a sunset there are no references to any particular time of day except for that time of day when I once again was caught up in contemplating our understanding of nature, but only for the purpose of the beginings of this description and so Helios the sun is part of this painting for without the sun how is one to see anything, also the painting could be after dawn and so Eos is implied and of course Selene – the Moon is the focal point.

The painting then conspires to present to the viewer all these aspects in one view. The mythology, my fascination, and our contemporary understanding for the origin of the Moon……and contiguously even through the four orientations of the painting, this remains the same.

 

Noctilucent Clouds withThe New Moon, Earth shine, Mercury Jupiter and Saturn. Oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022 £3400

Noctilucent Clouds withThe New Moon, Earth shine, Mercury Jupiter and Saturn. Oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022 £3400. Started summer 2021 finished January 2022 as part of my artist in residence at Gallery Tresco.

The artist in residence lasted for three weeks this year and my duties included checking on artworks in the time share properties and some public areas. The main one which is something I do every year is to remover and clean my 5 paintings commissioned in 2010 that are in the indoor swimming pool in the seagarden complex. The paintings have been protected from the humidity of the swimming pool using a double rectified genuine turpentine and wax based varnish and I have had no problems with the varnish since the paintings were installed, but they do need to be removed and carefully cleaned as salts in the atmosphere of the pool due to high humidity tend over time to condence onto the surface of the painting and if left will build up and form a distinct opaque crust. So this took two weeks.

4 of the 5 indoor swimming pool paintings

 

Sea Garden complex – building to the far left is the swimming pool

 

Indoor swimming pool which just about skows all 5 paintings

 

One of the things I really like to do is check on my late partners paintings. Julia was a Tresco Gallery artist and also took part in Gallery Tresco’s artist in residence program. For those who visiting my blog for the first time Julia died August 2010, but I love to see her paintings just to check on them and make sure there has been no damage so here are a few of Julia’s paintings. Some of which are held in trust by Tresco Estate until our children have places of their own. And occassionally our paintings hang together……

 

 

 

 

 

My other duties are really just based upon my own work. Usually I will carry sketchbooks, observing and drawing and making temporary stone sculptures on the shore. I also use a camera and inbetween all of this we have some fun. The drawings, the temporary sculptures, the fun we have, from observing the night sky, kayaking, simply walking sitting, contemplating all feed into the next series of artworks I will create.

View from our accommodation

Aaron setting off for the day to explore

 

Aaron setting off again for another days exploration…..and yes this will definately feature in the next series of paintings

 

 

 

Exploring…..

 

 

 

Aaron setting of again to circumnavigate Tresco and Bryher, landing at Samson on the way back

 

 

 

At the North end of Tresco on the moor

 

 

 

Looking into the West towards Bryher

 

 

 

Exploring….

 

 

 

Cromwell’s Castle

 

 

 

Exploring, scrambling, contemplating…..

 

So next is the sketchbooks…..

Moon rise

Dawn

 

Dawn Eastern Isles

Dark Sea

Crescent Moon rise

Stormy day

Stormy day

Venus

Mars

 

 

Temporary stone balance sculptures

 

Sentinel of sorts – Prometheus extruded

In conversation with the anomaly…… watched

 

pause for effect

Sulis No.1

 

Paintings finished during my artist in residence…..

 

heuldro’r gaeaf. ( Which translates to Winter Solstice) Alternative title is Winter Storm, oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2021 £3400

 

storm. Oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2021 £3400

 

Sol – Teg Hager Awel 2. Oil on canvas 90×170 cm. £3200

 

Sol – Teg Hager Awel 3. Oil on canvas 90x180cm. £3200

 

….And that concludes my first artist in residence for 2020 on Tresco for Gallery Tresco. I have enough sketchbook ideas for numerous paintings and every year I discover new ways to explore this place. I progress are several paintings about my son Aaron kayaking , some more astronomical and mythological inspired artworks and of course we had storms and those experiences will also lead to new artworks….. Next I have a short artist in residence at Castle Horneck Lodge in Penzance and that will be the next blog…..

‘Noctilucent Clouds withThe New Moon, Earth shine, Mercury Jupiter and Saturn’ Oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022

3rd painting finished this year. Again it’s been a work in progress for almost 5 months, and has gone through some few changes along the way. As I start paintings I may have a vague idea of what the painting may turn into. This vagueness is always excitment and always unknown knowledge….. that whatever vague idea I may have is often just the wish to create an artwork, whatever direction it takes is a creative process a kind of a conversation and is as much up to what happens on the canvas, in the landscape and during the whole process….as it is with those vague thoughts/ideas. And the vagueness is absolutely deliberate, a well developed sense of lets just see. The problem is if I start with a definitive idea of what is to be it short circuits a large amount of the creative process that might take me in unexpected directions…..and the work I do is already more than sufficiently constrained……
 
In this case it begins with direct observation in sketchbooks sketches that don’t stop being done just because I start the painting, I may go back to the point of view and see whats happening and so it evolves over time. And in this case several terrific experiences happened that I just had to work into the painting.
 
The cirrus like clouds are an observation of noctilucent clouds, these are tenuous high level clouds that are only visible when the sun is about 6 degrees below the horizon, then there was the appearence on the 12th Dec of the new Moon with prominent Earth shine Mercury above and to the left of the Moon Jupiter above and to the right of the Moon and Saturn also to the right of Jupiter…..
 
Title…..
 
‘Noctilucent Clouds withThe New Moon, Earth shine, Mercury Jupiter and Saturn’ Oil on canvas 90×180 cm 2022

Second new painting of 2020

 

Second painting finished this year. So today was great fun. Built a crate for two paintings….finished another painting – this one…..and had a short bike ride…..
So this one I am going to have some fun with the naming. I have not quite got the wording right yet so this will take a few days of thought
Being somewhat enigmatic the painting resides in several genre’s it has aspects of the mythological and the factual, historical and literative influences abound and goes back and forth between them all quite resolutely at home in all the places it can be said to exist separately in each and at the same time concurently in all, and all at the same time….
for the moment then it is 90×180 cm oil on canvas
Such is the power of art…..to not just transcend boundaries, but fundamentally to make them illusiory delusional and completely irrelevant….
Well have fun working that out

 

 

 

Another sale ‘Remnants Of Theia’ oil on canvas 80×90 cm 2021

I met a lovely family just yesterday 25.10.2021 Bryony her husband Jan and their two children and we had a fun couple of hours looking at paintings and feeding the black birds and Thrushes that hop and fly around my make shift outside winter studio. I did not think to take any images….. so bugger for that, but I do have one image from the other day of where I am working and how I set things up…..ah well we got to chat about the work and the influences I have and the back story of how I came to be here for the duration of the pandemic….

The studio…..

 

So the painting they have bought is the second in the series about the Moon…..’Remnants of Theia’ I recently posted some background info about the first painting in this series a few days ago, but it is such a fascinating thing…..So much about the history of our planet and the evolution of life has been fundamentally influenced by that event it is quite mind blowing….So here is what I wrote a few days ago with some minor changes…..

My interest in astronomy and mythology continues to inform the work I do to an ever increasing level, and one evening in mid summer 2021, after several long and difficult weeks working on the Garrison campsite, my son and I and other staff members were relaxing over a few beers and some food.

Also Aaron and I had the chance to visit Samson, one of the uninhabited Islands which we had been waiting to visit for quite some time, I was intrigued as the Island has ruins that date back around 4000 years and I wanted to visit the buriel chambers. One of the the members of staff here has ancestors that were inhabitents of Samson many years ago. To have that connection is fascinating and I was looking foward to this visit with anticipation.

As it happens we had good weather and again the Moon was in the sky, and the ideas for paintings as always where instantly filling my thoughts.

That day visit and the  summer evening relaxing with good food and some beers was fab. That lovely king’s Blue of the sky, long wispy cirrus clouds streaking across the sky and there framed in the sky by these clouds – the waxing gibous Moon. The atmosphere was clear and it was easy to pick out several large features on the surface of the Moon including mare serenitatis, mare tranquillitatis, Mare Crisum, mare fecuditatis, Plato crator was just about discernable as was Tycho crater, Mare Firgoris, mare imbrium, and mare nubium.

The Moon as always is captivating and the conversation faded for me at this point as I just stared at the Moon. It always fascinates me as it seems to be there in complete calm and absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy in which Arthur Dent asks the wise old bird in exaspiration what is keeping the cup in the sky from falling, and the wise old bird replies ‘art’…… that it is artistically correct.

The Moon always seems to have in a far more serious way that feeling of being in absolute harmony, perfectly placed, artistically correct, moving with such grace and beauty. Call it a feeling of awe and complete captivation with the beauty and connection with nature.

As always when I observe I draw upon a wealth of knowledge gained over many years and I start to rumage through what I can remeber of the names of the surface features, the history of the Apollo missions, humans landing on the Moon, and the theories of how the Moon formed, that as moons of the solar system go, in comparison to other moons and there parent bodies the Moon is exceptional in it’s size compared to the Earth…… and so for a long time how it got there how it formed has been a deep mystery.

During my contemplation of the Ruin’s on Samson, the  Moon, that bright king’s blue of the sky, the long wispy sirus clouds that evening I considered once again the origin of the Moon, oddly I had been reading a new article on this subject and watching a fab video on youtube involving a collision between the proto Earth and a Mars sized proto plant named Theia billions of years ago.

Out of interest here is the link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-EZjEJc8Bo&ab_channel=AntonPetrov

Hence the Title ‘Daughter of Theia’ and that evidence for Theia or whats left of Theia are buried deep inside our planet. So there I was sitting contemplating that deep beneath me were the remnants of Theia and above was the Moon both consequences of that immense collision, and that those remnants deep in the Earth also cause the Atlantic magnetic anomaly…….. And at the same time the reasons for the title of this painting are also intimately linked to the naming of ‘Theia’ and the mythological stories behind Theia, which are fascinating.

I like the fact that the scientists looking into this also know the mythologies of ancient Greece. I like having that connection with people I have never met, probably will never meet a very deep and profound connection to nature.

In greek mythology Theia was the Titan goddess of sight, (thea) and the shining aithre (ether) of the bright blue sky and right there we have the first visual connections as Selene one of the three children of Theia is the orginal name for the Moon, hence the title Daughter of Theia and the observers gaze is directed towards the Moon in this painting. The bright blue of the sky is representative of Theia – goddess of the deep blue of the sky. Theia also in mythology endowed silver and gold with their brilliance and lustre and so the bright silver luster of the Moon is also a direct reference to the goddess Theia. It is the focal point as it was mine on that evening – Theia bore the titan Hyperion three children Helios – the Sun, Eos – the dawn, and of course Selene the Moon.

The three children of Theia are also implicitly though indirectly in this painting. The painting has no particular refernce to being a dawn or a sunset there are no references to any particular time of day except for that time of day when I once again was caught up in contemplating our understanding of nature, but only for the purpose of the beginings of this description and so Helios the sun is part of this painting for without the sun how is one to see anything, also the painting could be after dawn and so Eos is implied and of course Selene – the Moon is the focal poin

The painting then conspires to present to the viewer all these aspects in one view. The mythology, my fascination, and our contemporary understanding for the origin of the Moon……and contiguously even through the four orientations of the painting, this remains the same.

And finally here is the painting that sold….

Remnants of Theia. Oil on canvas 80×90 cm 2021. £1800

 

Also in my thoughts during this evening and in fact pretty much every time I look at the Moon I reflect on how much influence the Moon has had on the evolution of life, the rythms of life, in many species including our own female menstruation is directly related to the Moon’s orbit around the Earth, it’s phases and the calender we have, the seven day week.

Another intriguing link to a very informative and fun youtube video….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpRd52dXHlQ&ab_channel=It%27sOkayToBeSmart

it all comes from this connection between the Earth and the Moon….. and so by extension to Theia and that immense collision. And now it is even thought that quite possibly that collision may solve another mystery. The mystery of where all the water on the Earth came from, and here is another link to another youtube video again by Anton Petrov….

Here is the link….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB5eUdHub8M&ab_channel=AntonPetrov

 

…..And now to start another painting in this series…..

 

 

 

Four paintings in one……

This painting grew in the making, and became more than just a single work of art. My interest in astronomy and mythology continues to inform the work I do to an ever increasing level, and one evening in mid summer 2021, after several long and difficult weeks working on the Garrison campsite, my son and I and other staff members were relaxing over a few beers and some food. It was a glorious summer evening. That lovely king’s Blue of the sky, long wispy sirus clouds streaking across the sky and there framed in the sky by these clouds – the waxing gibbous Moon. The atmosphere was clear and it was easy to pick out several large features on the surface of the Moon including mare serenitatis, mare tranquillitatis, Mare Crisum, mare fecuditatis, Plato crator was just about discernable as was Tycho crater, Mare Firgoris, mare imbrium, and mare nubium.

The Moon as always is captivating and the conversation faded for me at this point as I just stared at the Moon. It always fascinates me as it seems to be there in complete calm and absolutely beautiful. It reminds me of The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy in which Arthur Dent asks the wise old bird in exaspiration what is keeping the cup in the sky from falling, and the wise old bird replies ‘art’ that it is artistically correct.

The Moon always seems to have in a far more serious way that feeling of being in absolute harmony, perfectly placed, artistically correct. Call it a feeling of awe and beauty and connection with nature.

As always when I observe I draw upon a wealth of knowledge gained over many years and I start to rumage through what I can remeber of the names of the surface features, the history of the Apollo missions, humans landing on the Moon, and the theories of how the Moon formed, that as moons of the solar system go, in comparison to other moons and there parent bodies the Moon is exceptional in it’s size compared to the Earth……

Here is the first of the paintings inspired by my own observations of the Moon.

 

Four paintings in one, as the painting is rotated through 90 degrees a new painting with a different title is revealed. The titles are as follows…..Daughter of Theia. One Light Second. In contemplation of the infinite. From within….that…Pale Blue Dot. Oil on canvas 80×90 cm 2021

During my contemplation of the Moon that evening I considered once again the origin of the Moon, oddly I had been reading a new article on this subject involving a collision between the proto Earth and a Mars sized proto plant named Theia 4.4 billion of years ago.  and that evidence for Theia or whats left of Theia are buried deep inside our planet. So there I was sitting contemplating that deep beneath me were the remnants of Theia and above was the Moon both consequences of that immense collision, and that those remnants deep in the Earth may also be cause the Atlantic magnetic anomaly…….. And at the same time the reasons for the title of this painting are also intimately linked to the naming of ‘Theia’ and the mythological stories behind Theia, which are fascinating.

The four orientations…..

In greek mythology Theia was the Titan goddess of sight, (thea) and the shining aithre (ether) of the bright blue sky and right there we have the first visual connections as Selene one of the three children of Theia is the orginal name for the Moon, hence the title Daughter of Theia and the observers gaze is directed towards the Moon in this painting. The bright blue of the sky is representative of Theia – goddess of the deep blue of the sky. Theia also in mythology endowed silver and gold with their brilliance and lustre and so the bright silver luster of the Moon is also a direct reference to the goddess Theia. It is the focal point as it was mine on that evening – Theia bore the titan Hyperion three children Helios – the Sun, Eos – the dawn, and of course Selene the Moon.

The three children of Theia are also implicitly though indirectly in this painting. The painting has no particular refernce to being a dawn or a sunset there are no references to any particular time of day except for that time of day when I once again was caught up in contemplating our understanding of nature, but only for the purpose of the beginings of this description and so Helios the sun is part of this painting for without the sun how is one to see anything, also the painting could be after dawn and so Eos is implied and of course Selene – the Moon is the focal point.

The painting then conspires to present to the viewer all these aspects in one view. The mythology, my fascination, and our contemporary understanding for the origin of the Moon……and contiguously even through the four orientations of the painting, this remains the same …. and hence the title –  ‘Daughter of Theia’ 

 

Venus, the crescent Moon, Earth Shine and Mercury. 13 November 2020. Time – 6: 57: 37 am St. Mary’s Isles of Scilly

Image taken 13th November 2020 at 6:57:37 am. There was a break in the clouds and the sky was fabulous after all the rain it was super clean. Taken with my Canon EOS 700D in manual mode. 1/50 sec F5.6 ISO 6400. No tripod though so just had to brace the camera against a wall. Mercury and Venus show a distinct phase and I always love seeing Earth Shine and even surface details can be seen within the Earth Shine. I added the text (2nd image) using adobe photoshop but other than adding text and cropping the image has not been modified or enhanced…….

Venus crescent Moon Earth Shine 13 November 2020 6 57 37 am St. Mary’s Isles of Scilly