Astronaut Painting

Painting In Oils

Artist: John Potter
Oil Painting - In the private collection of James C. McLane III P.E.; Space Suit lab, Houston Texas

I painted this from a NASA photograph (I think I saw it in The Planetary Society magazine). The astronaut is attached to the space shuttle's robotic arm, working on something in the payload bay. That is why the background is just that white wall behind him (or her). I rendered the image exactly as it appeared in the photo. I wanted to avoid any technical mistakes in the subject.

I painted this one just for myself. No client, no deadline, no brief. I worked dark to light, slowly, adjusting the tones of the underpainting as I went. Most of the dark areas are just that underpainting showing through. You can see it clearly on the platform under the astronaut's feet. That thin layer of paint catching light gives the metal a worn, textured feel you cannot get any other way.

I loved this painting. It hung on my wall for maybe a year before James C. McLane III P.E. contacted me. He worked in the spacesuit lab in Houston. Some engineers there had stumbled across the painting online and wanted it for their work area. They took up a collection to pay for it. I had planned to never sell it, but I was so honored I could not say no.

That was a very long time ago. I often wonder where the painting is now and who sees it every day.

If you are looking for a painter who can handle technical subjects with accuracy and feeling, contact me. I enjoy work that asks for both.

James C. McLane III P.E.

Oil Painting

Testimonial: I purchased one of John Potters great paintings a couple of years ago. This oil on canvas picture is a large, half life-sized image of an Astronaut back in the payload bay of the Space Shuttle performing a repair on the Hubble Space Telescope. I work as an engineer in a Space Suit lab in Houston Texas, and when I saw this work I was blown away by its attention to accuracy. Potters style trends to relatively substantial brush strokes, but somehow the final product seems very, very detailed. The colors he uses are extremely faithful representations of the scene. From a respectful viewing distance, the painting looks photo realistic, but the viewer knows full well its obviously not a photograph, but the results from the labored efforts of a master artist. I cannot express how satisfied I am with this particular image.

James C. McLane III P.E.
Houston Texas

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