TM8164 From the Fringe of Certainty 36x36 oil on panel

What do we know and how do we know it? Our perceptions are guided by our senses, by what we can study and intuit, and by what we can imagine. Nature always seems to be saying “whatever you can imagine, I can trump.” The Hubble Space Telescope only proves the point. The images of reflection nebulas, colliding galaxies, and exploding stars are more beautiful than anything one could imagine, opening new worlds of possibility for artists. In the spirit of the possible, I bring you a new painting inspired by what the Hubble “saw.” Enjoy!

Technical painting notes – From the Fringe of Certainty features a significant proportion of dark, luminous blue blacks. To achieve such a deep color and keep it luminous, a white primer was used. Dozens of layers of transparent glaze were brushed on, in colors concentrating on the transparent pigments of indigo, ultramarine, dioxazine violet, thalo blue, Prussian green, and quinacridone violet. It seems counterintutive, but transparent pigments can achieve deeper tones than opaque pigments, and with greater brilliance. With so much cool color, a hint of red violet and red orange were needed for balance – hence the inclusion of red tones in the upper right of  the nebula and in some of the stars.

To view additional smaller cosmos paintings, click on the Portfolio Cosmos Oils page in the column to the right