I have been busy working on several space-themed paintings that I am collectively calling SpaceScapes. These pieces are done in stages, starting with a simple value-based application of oil paint with brushes, then applying thick layers with palette knife, and finishing with brush as needed for detail and glazing. To prevent cracking in the paint, I have to make sure each layer dries/cures (which can take months) before applying the next, and so these paintings take much longer to create. Some of these works-in-progress include four MercuryScapes, a Mercury-inspired rocky-planet hemisphere, a 5-piece MarsScape, a MarsScape that I may never be happy with, a few Sun-themed pieces, a cat looking up at the stars (because art can be funny too), some experiments in abstract painting, and several sketched canvases waiting for their first layer of paint.