Incoming Fog and Comet NEOWISE

…is my latest mixed media painting inspired by our recent visitor that has captivated me and many others for weeks. I was up night after night trying to catch the comet over Black Mountain from our yard, but the fog repeatedly sent me back to bed disappointed. Finally, I saw at around 3AM that it was clear and headed out back to enjoy and photograph the peaceful view. Around 5AM fog began to curl around the base of the mountain. A few minutes later I could barely make out anything past our fence.

Robin Street-Morris. Incoming Fog with Comet NEOWISE [C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)]. 2020. Transparent watercolor and powdered soft pastel on 300lb hot press paper. 14" x 19" (36 x 48cm).

(Please click on the image if you’re interested in purchasing a print.)

Unrelated, here’s another bloomer I’ve been home to enjoy this month because of the pandemic rather than traveling. Like the Epiphyllum hookeri I mentioned recently, each one of these giant, night-fragrant blossoms opens after dark and closes by dawn. I know this plant as Cereus peruvianus ‘Monstrosus’. This cutting was gifted to me several years ago when I met up with some patrons in California who discovered my art online when I lived in Detroit. Plant presents are hard to top in my book.

Comic-Con Art Show 2020 and Comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

The Comic-Con Art Show began online today via Tumblr and you can check it out here. Typically this is the day we head downtown to hang my work after I’ve framed it myself with archival materials. That was understandably not in the cards this year to avoid potentially spreading the plague. The silver lining is that the powers that be have made it possible for us to come together this week to enjoy each other’s work, attend panels and visit booths virtually. This is a great year to enjoy all there is to online in respect to said event. As per usual, my mantra is “support living artists” and that always includes my colleagues. Supporting artists can come in the form of purchasing a piece or print, or simply sharing and showing general appreciation of what we do.

My latest piece was inspired by seeing comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) in the Laguna Mountains an hour east of here. Our coastal fog had cloaked it for days and I realized we had to head eastward in order to make sure we saw it. It’s the closest it’s going to be to our planet today until roughly another 6,800 years.

Robin Street-Morris. Passage XI (Comet with Venus). 2020. Transparent watercolor and powdered soft pastel on 300lb cold press paper. 15" x 20" (38 x 51cm).