I was too young to remember January 28, 1986. In spite of this, the events of that day have been a strong and emotional influence on me. Seven dauntless people took an amazing risk for the advancement of our society and our knowledge. The quote, taken from President Reagan's speech, perfectly sums up our endeavors to explore.
This piece, created for Quotes, Lines & Lyrics at Hero Complex Gallery, was no easy task. From concept to final piece, I went through numerous starts and stops, at least 5 different versions and many colors. This was more than a poster project, it was a belated expression of respect and gratitude. I can only hope what I've done is an appropriate tribute to Challenger STS-51-L.
My portraits began as sketches in Photoshop. I filled these in with the appropriate shading and transferred the shapes into Illustrator. Each portrait took a full two days to complete.
The shuttle itself was done in much the same way, sketch to vector. I wanted the piece to feel hopeful in spite of the tragedy, to capture the powerful possibilities of space travel.
