It all began when I saw an image of nebula IC 5070. It was just a tiny image on my phone of a nebula over 2,000 light years away, but it was enough to spark my interest. I saw a nebula that spans 30 light years reduced to 2 inches. This image lured me in. I wanted more. I wanted to experience looking up to see the amazing nebula. I knew I could never make the whole thing, but a tiny fragment of it would be a start. My interpretation brings different elements together to enhance the original, but also creates a twist on it. I take bits and pieces from here and there to combine them in ways that are a nod to the source while also taking them further by layering different influences so that the viewer may see something new while embodying the inspiration.

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   The whole cosmos hangs above our heads and we hardly look up at it. I remember the power of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and there is a certain feeling of awe looking up at the artwork. I see the ceiling as a privileged place, yet one that is often forgotten or overlooked. I want people to make the connection from the celestial body, to the ceiling, and finally to themselves. With the installation on the ceiling the groundwork for the viewer to have a physical and metaphysical experience with the piece is set. Causing them look up and around, in ways that we do not typically look at art. To take a moment and ponder the immensity of the universe and by comparison how small the Earth and humans are.

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   IC 5070 no longer looks like that image I saw. It is gone and has changed to something new, but I will never see that because of how far away it is. This is the fugitive beauty I work to capture in my art.