Lynette Cook -- HD16141 b and Moon

¤ Lynette Cook's "HD16141 b and Moon" can be found on her site, "The Many Facets of Lynette Cook", along with other examples of her work including books, products, prints and other information.

¤ I found Lynette Cook's work while looking for depictions of what they thought a "Hot Jupiter" might look like. It is in a collection of space art depicting "exo-planets" -- planets which have been discovered which orbit stars other than the Sun. Of course for such things we depend on the work of Space artists. I enjoyed looking at her work and wanted to review it here. I chose this piece out of all the works she has on her site because of its similarity with the work by Chelsey Bonestell, "Saturn as seen from Titan"¹ which we recently reviewed.

Of course the two artists use a different style and probably media, and Cook's piece if of a moon close to its star and thus very hot and backed. But still there are great similarities in the compositions. I wonder if the crispness of Bonestell's work intentionally highlights the crisp coldness of Titan while the rounded bluffs of Cook's piece give a baked and rounded feeling of heat to hers.

I note that while Bonestell includes a dusting of ice on ridge and cliff tops, Cook includes a baked "river" bed on hers. I suspect that it wasn't water that flowed in that bed... perhaps sulphur?

I think the choice of including the system's star in the image ads to the feeling of heat in the composition. On the other hand, I find that space art of exo-planets traditionally include the star to indicate how similar that star is to the Sun and how close it is to the planet.

It is very interesting to see how space art has evolved.

~ Darrell

¤ This space art by Lynette Cook is in some ways very similar to the recent piece reviewed entitled "Saturn as seen from Titan"¹. Although we tend to concentrate on common elements there is one striking difference -- the planet's surface looks serene as well as being on it's death bed. Including the yolk yellow sun in the image adds a gentle finishing point.

~ Mags

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¹ "Saturn as seen from Titan" reviewed August 18, 2008

Chelsey Bonestell -- Saturn As Seen From Titan (1944)

¤ "Saturn As Seen From Titan (1944)" By Chelsey Bonestell from a gallery on the artist: "Bonestell Space Art". There is a page called "titan" on how this masterpiece was created.

¤ Rings anyone? Not a star gazer by nature -- but when Darrell suggested I look at this space art, I could see the attraction straight away. Chelsey Bonestell has a unique gift in bringing the unfamiliar to your attention so that you feel like you have been there before and that you are returning home. The bit that impresses me the most is the shadow-like phase of Saturn floating between two rocky crags. The crags remind me of a Cadbury Flake confectionery bar. (Oops, must be hungry.)

~ Mags

¤ When you are a child and going through school many images "just are" and you don't think about how they were created and by whom. The images are something that always have been in the books that you know and perhaps loved. I loved books about space and films and film strips about space. (I wonder how many remember film strips in school? Basically a slide show on a roll.) This picture is one that I remember. I cannot even tell you what books I saw the image in.

Space Art was extremely important in the days before we had the fantastic imaging equipment and far flung exploring satellites we have today. Today we actually have seen images from Titan's Surface! In 1944... it was up to imagination and science to provide any inspiration to people as to what wonders might be out there. Some like this Bonestell work, nearly seem photographic and perhaps better than photographic. Perhaps some details are wrong... it wouldn't be from cloud shrouded Titan's surface but perhaps another larger moon of Saturn?

We still actually rely a lot on artist's interpretations of objects and vistas in space beyond what we can actually observe with remote sensing and satellite. But the artist's have better resources to draw on. They also now have computers to draw on. I shall have to in future review some of the current space art of new planets discovered around stars far away.

This one has incredible towering cliffs with perhaps methane ice on the ledges and tops. Saturn is seen from towards the back in a difficult angle to see from the Earth with the top surface of the rings illuminated. There is a link to how he created models to paint the rock faces from and experiment with different lighting. That was interesting. It was also interesting to learn that the media is thin layers of oil paint on "illustration board" which had a large black and white print of the model mounted on it.

I am thinking that in a way, an artist can be a space explorer just as an astronomer or other scientist can.

~ Darrell

dinyctis - Space Lane

¤ You can find dinyctis' piece "Space Lane" on deviantART as well as a few other places on the Web. He has an interesting gallery, though some might find it a bit opinionated.

¤ dinyctis' "Space Lane" takes us on a fascinating journey across space -- and perhaps further afield -- in this work -- that is huge in size -- to take in the incredibly detailed story of that journey. You really must see it at full size to fully appreciate it. If you have dial-up you might have to be satisfied with the default view on his page. (On deviantART you click on the image to get the full sized view.)

I am not sure that it is intended to be viewed all at once, but rather a bit at a time either starting at the top and working down, or from the bottom and working your way up. There is a seeming story-journey on this vertical mural image. I won't give away the ending and spoil it here.

dinyctis uses intense colour on black to good effect in his chosen media, computer graphic image. I think you will appreciate the details as well as the story-journey and will enjoy looking at other images in his gallery.

~ Darrell

¤ One would find it slightly odd that this artist would begin his piece and end his piece with the exact same frame and style. I find that quite perplexing -- and to be honest one has to find a reason to be captured by this image. The depiction of the galaxy is strategically placed in the best spot for eyes to be drawn into its very core. Other works that you might want to chew over are: "Nebular Playtime" and one entitled "Vessel". We all have a desire to reach for the stars -- this artist just takes it to whole new level.

~ Mags

M.C. Escher - Double Planetoid

¤ M.C. Escher's "Double Planetoid" is an illustration of this well known artist that can be found in a number of galleries and collections. We are highlighting it on "The Oldest Escher Collection the Web - Since 1993" "World of Escher" and "Jill Britton's Escher Gallery". "World of Escher" has information on the artist. "Jill Britton's Escher Gallery" has the best and clearest images. "The Oldest Escher Collection the Web - Since 1993" has a good collection as well as links to works inspired by Escher. Please note that we chose to use a larger image for a thumbnail because smaller ones simply do not work for this illustration. (Link to "The Official M.C.Escher Website".)

¤ I'd like to credit my best friend, Darrell Penner, for introducing me to the work of M.C. Escher. After looking at his work for a little while, I realized that all of his shapes on one side of the planetoid are exactly the same as on the other. He takes tremendous care and pride in the fact that everything is symmetrical and drawn like a mathematician.

He is well respected by scientists and mathematicians and I just wonder if it is because of his exactness and attention to detail. I have glanced at some of his other pieces and he manages to put ordinary objects in places where they ought not to be, and somehow yet this still seems to work just fine. So if you are someone that likes symmetrical works of art, then Escher is the man for you.

~ Mags

¤ M.C. Escher's masterpiece, "Double Planetoid" might not seem so impressive to many people today, until they realize it was not done using computer aide. Escher was born in 1898 and died in 1972* and computers were not being routinely used for artwork until well after 1972.

Escher's work was done using techniques of woodcutting and lithography. These processes involve creating a master printing plate or block by hand and printing the piece from that. Each line on Escher's works were originally guided by hand!

Escher's work, like "Double Planetoid" contrasts geometry and nature along with -- in some cases -- optical illusion. He does in this case use optical illusion to create a feeling of depth, but that is something we are very used to. "Double Planetoid" takes two interlocked tetrahedron where one is a fantasy planetoid -- rough and covered with tropical plants; lizard and saurian-like creatures living on the cliff-like structures -- while the second is a fortress a Templer Knight might be proud of -- all tied to an internal point of gravity. The primitive tropical tetrahedron does not connect at all with the fortress tetrahedron but rather the fortress bridges it with arches which emerge from holes on the landscape of the primitive land.

You can see the lithographic lines used to create shading and shape for the print when you look at the full sized work. There is a very different feel between the sort of line used on each of the two tetrahedron.

You really have to view the full sized image from the "Jill Britton's Escher Gallery". At least it is the same size as the prints in the book of prints I bought in my youth, perhaps only a few years after Escher's passing. I have bought few art books in my life, but the book of Escher prints was the first I bought and one of my favourites! This is one of my favourite works as well. ...though I do love the "Curl Up" creature with the "baby feet" that rolls up into the wheel to travel by rolling as much or more...

~ Darrell

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* "World of Escher"

Chris Becker - The Hanging City

The second I glanced at Chris Becker's "The Hanging City" I could not take my eyes off the links in the chains. The thought came to me -- What would happen if just one single link snapped? A great analogy as we as humans have forgotten what it means to stick with one another in all kinds of weather. We need to get back to sticking with one another for the long haul. We are all important and often a single link can break a chain.

~Mags

This image makes me think of the flights of fancy I take when I let my imagination run a bit daydreaming. I'll lay back and look at normal objects and they will cease to be normal objects... in this case I am reminded of a hanging light fixture. I might transform such a light fixture into a hanging city in my imagination. Of course there might be a part of my mind wondering just what the city would be hanging from. Still, the city is beautiful and has an airy oriental feeling to it. The composition is interesting with the highlights of the metal and misty shadows in the distance. I wonder how the composition would work on a dark and stormy night...

~ Darrell.

Ida M W Larsen - Airship Captain

Airship Captain is an 8x10.5 inch signed open edition print by Ida Larsen. It is a beautiful self portrait by the artist which I hazard would fit into the category of "Steam Punk". This is a stunning image of a striking woman in a stunning laced corset and leather flying helmet -- with sky and hot air balloons behind her. The point of view of the sky has an odd perspective to it. There is a far away, sad, wistful look in her eyes. Is there even land below or just more cloud and more sky. Steam Punk is a form of Science Fiction which is set in a fantasy Victorian/Edwardian period -- where spaceflight has been achieved using Jules Vern-H.G. Wells sorts of technology. It became popular in the 1990's. Feisty women often vie with stalwart men in the heroics and villainy in these stories.

A gallery of Ida Larsen's work for sale can be found on Etsy.com.

~ Darrell

My overall impression of this artist's work is that realism is vitally important in getting the concept across to the public. An example of this can be found in the expression or lack of in her face. I just wonder if she is thinking of dreams she once had that through the passage of time have faded into the distance.

~ Mags

Frank Melech - Die Besucher (The Visitors)

This is another image from the series of works by Frank Melech called Die Besucher which my computer translates out as "The Visitors".

It has a realistic quality and then a hyper-realistic quality, depending on what part of the composition you are looking at, or how closely. The textures give a part of the hyper-reality. I love castles placed in crevices and obscure places, and I love images where there is greater detail to see the more you look. This picture has that -- plus that other quality of telling a story, or providing a canvas for telling stories. I can only wonder if "the visitors" are meant to have been from that combination tree-fungi-flying saucer nestled against the cliff side? Or is it they who are the denizens of the keep -- only indicated by the satellite dish on the roof and the bright light in the one window by daylight?

I might not care for all the artist's works, but I do like very many of them -- and this is one I like. I find it inspirational.

~ Darrell

The eroded rock layer that looks almost like a pathway reminds me of an ancient stone cross embedded in the rock.

~ Mags

Frank Melech - Elements IV

This image is one of a series of Frank Melech's hosted on fotocommunity which unfortunately seems to be a German Language site -- though not unfortunate for German speakers.

This artist has managed to combine both silken soft and rocky rough textures -- blending both civilized and archaic.

His gallery will leave you mesmerized and wanting to come back for seconds. You won't be disappointed if you go to check out the rest of his work.

~ Mags

When I look at the thumbnail of the work it reminds me a lot of some large eye of a whale, though with slitted pupil. Looking at the full sized image you see a geode like feature hanging in space before an ocean-like background. The geode holds a stormy ocean with land in the background and a miniature version of itself leaps forth looking all the world like a sperm seeking its own way in the universe.

There are other works of this artist that are as grand. I find that there is much to see looking at the details. I wonder if the artist intended it to look like an eye at a distance? The textures are interesting and Mags mentioned to me similarities with polished paua or abalone.

~ Darrell