Nullius In Verba

Latin for "on the word of no one" or "take nobody's word for it", Nullius in verba is the motto of the oldest national scientific institution, the Royal Society, founded in 1660. Sir Isaac Newton served as president of the society from 1703-27. The motto is explained thus:

It is an expression of the determination of Fellows to withstand the domination of authority and to verify all statements by an appeal to facts determined by experiment.

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I'll be exhibiting this new piece and more next week at IX in Reading, PA Oct 23-27!

Nullius In Verba
Oil, 24 x 18 in

Inertia - Final Painting

It took a few more technological advances, but it was largely Newton's insights from 1697 that have allowed us to put more than 2,000 mechanical messengers and observers in weightless orbit around our planet. He explained that orbiting objects, like our robotic satellites or the moon, are constantly falling to the earth. They are just traveling fast enough that by the time they would have fallen to the ground they have passed, or missed the earth, only to find themselves on another side of the planet falling still.

In order to miss the earth's surface from the altitude of low earth orbit, the International Space Station, for instance, must travel an amazing 4.76 miles per second (7.6 km/s). Meanwhile, the moon is far enough outside our gravitational pull that it only needs to move little faster than a typical bullet; a mere 0.635 miles per second (1 km/s).

These speeds may not sound like a tranquil, weightless experience, but Einstein showed us this is all relative. The Earth is currently taking us on an 18.6 mile per second (30 km/s) trip around the Sun and I can still pour my tea without making a mess ... usually.

Oil, 18 x 24 in

This painting will be coming with me to IX, Oct 23-27!

Prints are available here.

A Galaxy Within

This new piece from an earlier study has been accepted to the Oil Painters of America annual Western Regional Exhibition next month in Santa Fe, NM!

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We are each a little galaxy of our own. It's a mind-bending exercise trying to comprehend the 100 billion stars found in a typical galaxy. Yet, each of us has roughly the same number of neurons in our own brain, performing a symphony of consciousness. Similar too, is the number of atoms that write out our DNA code. We are a staggeringly complex and unique collection of natural components, come together for a short, precious moment.

Large numbers are difficult to fathom, but to be disappointed in the realization that we are "just" collections of atoms moving in accordance with the laws of physics, is to misunderstand the depth of this astonishing complexity, and the billions of years it took to evolve.

"We are the miracle, we human beings. Not a break-the-laws-of-physics kind of miracle; a miracle in that it is wondrous and amazing how such complex, aware, creative, caring creatures could have arisen in perfect accordance with those laws [of nature] ... Our emergence has brought meaning and mattering into the world ... It bequeaths to us the responsibility and opportunity to make life into what we would have it be."
-Sean Carroll, The Big Picture

Oil, 24 x 18 inches

Original will be available at the OPA Western Regional Show in November. 

As usual, prints are available here.

I'm also pleased to say my painting, Bioluminescence, has been selected as a finalist in the August BoldBrush Competition! Congratulations to all the winners!