millward studios

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"C/1995 01 (Hale-Bopp)"2005
ACRYLIC ON 24" X 36" X 3/4" GALLERY STRETCHED CANVAS
SOLD
Corbin collection, Medford, Oregon

A whimsical minimalist painting I did in early 2005. I made the sky huge in comparison to our small comet watchers to try to portray the vastness of our universe.

I have a photo of the Hale-Bopp comet over the Arizona desert when it was most visible one night... and I had always wanted to paint it. I wanted that painting to somehow convey the feeling of wonder I felt and still feel when I look at the stars in our big, beautiful night sky.
Looking through the telescope, I am humbled by how vast our universe is and how small we really are.

The mysterious Hale-Bopp comet won't be back around again for another 2387 years.

For this painting, to simulate glowing stars, I applied tiny chips of a material that duplicates a phenomenon know as diffraction, the same phenomena that makes the 3-D rainbow colors in a hologram. The sky was painted with many layers of transparent colored glazes, each layer getting some chips (stars). The comet is also made from these holographic chips. The result is a shimmering, starry sky with beautiful depth, that changes as the viewer moves around. Photos can't do this painting justice.


Close up of the comet watchers.

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