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AstroArtist of the Month - Lucy West (2 of 4)

Art Plus Science Equals Fun "Lucy at the easel painting Jupiter" Growing up there was never any doubt in my mind that I would become a professional artist. But what has surprised me is how the arts led to my love of science. Over the last decade I've realized I get very excited about science, engineering and how nature works, and how that has influences what I paint. It was my artistic nature that first took notice of the beauty in geology, astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science. The more I studied these veins the more I began to see the beauty of science in general. I find these two disciplines, art and science, employ similar techniques of questioning and action, both experience similar flashes of insight, both are motivated by the spell of inspiration to discover something new, both compel to explore the unknown. Science is creative, science is learning. Learning is what inspires me to paint and I use my creativity as a learning tool. I didn't always paint scientifically based subjects or even consider science that often in my younger years, but I have always approached art in a scientific way; by studying, researching and dissecting the subject I'm interested in to better understand them before I approach the canvas. I've learned much about many different topics because of this method. Basically, art has been a life-long learning tool that I've used it to investigate a broad spectrum of the modern human experience: nature, science, quantum sciences, physics, space exploration, the cosmos, human... Read More..