Before I came to the Washington, DC area, I was friends with a Russian-language expert I had met at graduate school, along with her husband who was a "defense consultant." She had developed a fantasy world based on traditional Russian culture. In a galaxy far, far away was a pair of planets orbiting each other, in their voyage around a pale white sun. Each supported life, including an intelligent civilization. The larger planet was named "Volshebda," and the people living there were eight-foot-tall, slender blue humanoids with an elaborate social hierarchy. This is an image of one of Volshebda's cities, with the other planet, "Maizhutok," floating in the sky. I gave my friend the painting as a Christmas gift. It is the very first piece I ever did with my airbrush, done in winter of 1978. Size is 12" x 9", acrylic on Masonite.
Planetary-physics-minded people looking at this picture have told me that the tidal forces stirred up by a massive object like a near-twin planet would make the existence of higher life on the planets unlikely. There would be much too much elemental tumult of tidal waves, earthquakes, or storms. But here I have ignored that and depicted this world as a serene Russian faeryland of sparkling snow, dark evergreens, and crystal buildings.
I'm no longer in contact with that couple, and I may be the only person other than my old friend herself who remembers the worlds of Volshebda and Maizhutok and their ethereal inhabitants.
3 comments:
I love this one and you managed to not overdo the airbrush effects (unlike most who use them). The idea of the twin worlds is also interesting. As for the planitary "experts", they have been known to be wrong!
Oh, on another note, your font has changed on your posts and looks odd, not as easy to read.
Wow, the details here are so intricate. Beautiful.
This may be my new favorite...
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