Major Tom is Going Home, or, why I chose to paint something so weird. I blame the eclipse.

On April 8, 2024, a good portion of the US bore witness to a solar eclipse. Some, like us here in Georgia, were afforded a partial eclipse. Though I mourned the lost opportunity to travel for totality, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was inspired to pull out my oil paints and see if I could create an image that blossomed in my mind.

If you know me well, you know that David Bowie is and will always be a huge influence in my life. My first thought was the piece had to be based on a mythical Major Tom. An astronaut, lost in space,  gazing wistfully at the solar eclipse from the surface of the Moon. It excited me to imagine...what WOULD the eclipse look like from the Moon, once the Earth crossed the path of the Sun? 

Would the corona be highlighted by a sunset/sunrise that circled the Earth?

I grabbed some paints and prepared a palette. I had to know.

A few of the paints I am using, along with the paper palette.

After covering a 24x24 canvas with black paint, I sketched out the astronaut and put a moonscape behind him. On a canvas this big, the process took a lot longer than I hoped it would be due to my using a small 1/2" flat brush (see photo above).

​I made a mental note to buy some larger brushes for my next big piece.

After sketching the painting, I stepped back and found myself in a quandary. What on Earth (or the Moon, ha) would I title this?

With a tired arm, I quickly mapped in an eclipse in the upper right corner and called it a day. I put the painting to the side and went back to my other works in progress.

Major Tom, day one. Wet and rough and I wasn't sure if it was going to go anywhere.

A week or so later, I revisited the piece. It needed a sense of whimsy, a touch of magic, and a bit more color. After a couple of hours, Tom's spacesuit glowed a cool violet gray. The Earth was given a pink edge. And, surprising of all, three UFOs appeared over the horizon. 

Just then I was given a title for the piece. Major Tom is Going Home. The aliens had arrived to whisk him back to Earth. 

Major Tom is Going Home, not quite finished but coming together nicely.

While this isn't a finished piece, it is complete enough for me to let it sit and marinate until I am inspired to come back to it. What I will do next is anyone's guess. Maybe this is it? We shall see.

If you are an artist, do you find that you need to let your pieces chill a bit in between painting or drawing sessions? I'd love to hear your thoughts below!