Keeping Going

The last couple of weeks have been a bit stressful. Deaths (plural) in the family, car problems (plural) and household maintenance have made it hard to focus but today I finally felt like I could think straight.

As I mentioned last time, I would write about John Berkey when I felt more coherent. His passing has had an effect on me because of an image I saw on the cover of a National Geographic Astronomy book. It was one of his iconic starships blazing across the cover with a glowing trail that stretched across the spine to the back. That image made me pick up the book and check it out from the library. I don't know that I really read much from the pages inside but I know I checked out that book multiple times because I loved the cover art.

It was years later that I discovered who created the book and when I could I purchased Painted Space and read it from cover to cover. The vistas and colors were fascinating and absorbing.

I was creating my own imagery of space and whenever I became stuck I would return to his images to release my mind from the traps I had set for myself. I was always fascinated by how effortless it seemed for him to show form and shading with just a few brush strokes. Indeed, when deconstructing the images they are simply impressions of the reality but seem more real than any 3D movie image.

It is a mystery that some psychologist could explain but it still would not tarnish the magic of seeing a John Berkey painting in all its glory and knowing that somehow he could imagine such fantastic places and vehicles.

So I lament his passing and am sorry I never got to meet him. But, borrowing a phrase from Babylon 5, perhaps we will meet someday "Beyond the Rim."