Gemini Spacewalk Painting

This painting, available at Foolproof Gallery in Denver, was inspired by the first spacewalk done by an American astronaut, Ed White on Gemini IV in 1965. Folks are pretty bored with space missions these days but I'm interested in exploring the time when people were very excited about our first, tentative steps into space. At this time the Russian space program had already completed 5-day trips to space and Gemini 4 was a 4-day trip, approaching the Russian achievement. White and fellow astronaut James McDivitt circled the Earth 66 times in 4 days. The highlight of their mission was White's spacewalk, the first time an American had left their spacecraft. He floated freely outside the craft for 23 minutes and did not want to return to the craft when asked by mission control. I hoped to capture something of the drifting weightlessness experienced by this astronaut on this historic mission. I imagine the massive glowing blue sphere of Earth - where all living things known have existed - far below his boots. I used to work as a newspaper journalist so I think my artwork is informed by a reporter's sense of getting "just the facts," and not embellishing or injecting my own opinion. After all, I believe that our living existence is the most amazing and exciting thing that has ever occurred so even our daily experiences are worthy of celebration.