Imminent Collision - The Universe Drawings

The imminent collision of our Milky Way Galaxy with the Andromeda Galaxy in four billion years inspires my recent investigations. This triumph of natural forces satisfies that primal human desire for a glimpse into the sublime.

Representing the universe in painting, drawing and sculpture has been my primary artistic focus for the past fifteen years These works on paper are informed by all manner of cosmological documents: NASA photographs, false color imaging, astronomers' historical and current drawings, notations of celestial events, and varieties of star arrangements. Black acrylic contains pure carbon and is therefore a suitable medium for the painted depictions.

The arrangements of Swarovski elements reference the patterns found in star formations, charts, and star maps which astronomers and scientists construct in attempting to understand the universe. My compositions are developed through vibration and random dispersion of the silver crystal elements onto the paper surface. The stones are further manipulated by controlled interference: frequency and duration of vibration as well as manual interference such as gathering, clustering and edging. The art works reveal how nature controls apparent randomness through patterned behavior (Chaos Theory). The complex surfaces sparkle differently for each viewer depending on eye level and light conditions. The architecture of sight plays into this: what a viewer sees with both eyes is an illusion. What is actually there is what one eye sees (the camera).

I consider each work a unique spectacle or "Hallelujah Chorus". As such, my art works transform their inherent beauty into magnificent lies about the universe.