The process was different for this first in a Universe series of 4 Embellished Fabric Collages. It was
impossible for me to use original images, and I did not want fiction. So I sought and received permission
from Sky Lab Images to use the photographs I ordered. Theirs is a composite of images from the ACS
instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope and wide-angle images from the Mosaic Camera on the 0.9-m Telescope
at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
The Eye of God Nebula - Helix Nebula - NGC 7293, a well known photo, is the closest example of a
planetary nebula created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer gasses of the star expelled into
space and is destined to become a white dwarf star.
This Helix Nebula, given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 650 light-years away towards
the constellation of Aquarius and spans about 2.5 light-years. Our Sun might look like this one day.
At my studio I did some small acrylic studies of the Helix Nebula.
Then I chose many fabrics, guided by the Helix; backed them with Steam-A-Seam glue; prepared the white
linen substrate to be serged and glued to black background microfiber. After days cutting and composing
with fabrics, the embellishing ensued: acrylic painting, sewing on pearls which indicated the larger
"heavenly" bodies located between us on Earth and the Eye of God Nebula (See detail below). The words I
finally embroidered, with Glow-In-The-Dark thread were changed many times. First I wrote... God IS, but
not in our image...That was either misunderstood or it offended my Christian friends. So I composed and
settled on the question...Oh God, how can your universe go on and on galaxy after galaxy, without
boundaries?
This piece was conceived and completed over a period of about 6 months.
impossible for me to use original images, and I did not want fiction. So I sought and received permission
from Sky Lab Images to use the photographs I ordered. Theirs is a composite of images from the ACS
instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope and wide-angle images from the Mosaic Camera on the 0.9-m Telescope
at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
The Eye of God Nebula - Helix Nebula - NGC 7293, a well known photo, is the closest example of a
planetary nebula created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The outer gasses of the star expelled into
space and is destined to become a white dwarf star.
This Helix Nebula, given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 650 light-years away towards
the constellation of Aquarius and spans about 2.5 light-years. Our Sun might look like this one day.
At my studio I did some small acrylic studies of the Helix Nebula.
Then I chose many fabrics, guided by the Helix; backed them with Steam-A-Seam glue; prepared the white
linen substrate to be serged and glued to black background microfiber. After days cutting and composing
with fabrics, the embellishing ensued: acrylic painting, sewing on pearls which indicated the larger
"heavenly" bodies located between us on Earth and the Eye of God Nebula (See detail below). The words I
finally embroidered, with Glow-In-The-Dark thread were changed many times. First I wrote... God IS, but
not in our image...That was either misunderstood or it offended my Christian friends. So I composed and
settled on the question...Oh God, how can your universe go on and on galaxy after galaxy, without
boundaries?
This piece was conceived and completed over a period of about 6 months.
| Detail of Eye of God - The star, a pearl here between us and the Nebula shows depth and the distance between heavenly bodies.. |
