Astronomy Domaine: A Study of Light, Time, and Space

 

For as long as I can remember, art has been a significant part of my life. I can remember drawing on the walls and on napkins at restaurants. I can remember using my older brothers’ drawing books and looking for portraits that I worked diligently to recreate. I can remember deciding one day that art was what I wanted to do. The more time went by, the more difficult this dream became to pursue; until I eventually found some solace in graphic design and visual arts—I found something that I loved.

 

As time went on, I realized there was more I loved besides art. Over the past four years, I have seen myself develop a deep fondness and appreciation for astronomy, philosophy and literature, music, and art history. With this, came the desire to share this newfound love for knowledge and the unknown with the rest of the world through my art. I have done this by exploring unorthodox topics such as light, time, and space in abstract or nonrepresentational ways. Through a display of color, abstract imagery, and design I aim to inspire others in the way that other artists such as Vance Kirkland have done for me. Kirkland’s paintings of surreal cosmic events and solar systems have been able to elicit profound emotions from me simply through observation and contemplation. His paintings depict, for me, just how deep the thing we call "life" goes by creating incredible depth and space through color and shape; leaving the audience to wonder just how much they really understand about this world and the art in it.

 

I aim to inspire others to learn and think critically about their experiences through my own depictions of light, time, and space. I want these images to remind the audience of just how small we all really are and how much is left to discover. This series helped me see my life and the lives of others in a new light, while also encouraging me to ask questions and not be afraid of the unknown. Whether or not my questions are answered does not matter. The universe is a grand mystery to be a part of and it seems a shame to not at least try to solve it. I hope to show that if you at least try to understand, sometimes you learn to see yourself and the world in a new light, and other times you need to learn to accept that no one has all the answers—and that is okay too. If you never ask, you will surely never know.