What was the inspiration for Night Sky Murals?

I am often asked, "What was your inspiration for creating your starry-night murals?" Or, "When did your interest in the night sky begin?"


Well, the fact is that the "when" and "where" happened at the same time. And, I want to share it with you here... and try to show you want I saw so long ago that totally stunned me.


It happened when I was about 8 years old (way back in 1969) when we were camping in the Redwoods in California. My dad had grown up working on his grandparents pack station as a youngster... and he would take us to those same mountains when we were growing up too.

(The campsite where we used to camp as we grew up. Now, I take my kids there to enjoy the same experience I did as a child. For me... I enjoy this forest, today, the same as I did years ago.)




On this particular night, we'd gone to bed early to be rested and ready to get down to the lake to fish at first light. When we went to bed (fairly early) there were camp fires casting their light on the pines and redwoods, as did the many lanterns from our camp, as well as the other campsites all around us. And, with all of the light bouncing off of the trees that surrounded us, the night sky wasn't very noticeable. It was only a slightly better than what we were used to seeing at night in the city.

(This is a picture looking up through the pines and redwoods where we used to camp. And, this is the same area of sky where I first saw the night sky on a very dark night with no light pollution around us)




Well, that was when we went to sleep at about 9 PM. But, at about 2 AM, when I woke up for some reason... I saw, for the first time in my life, a real night sky. One that was so full of bright stars, the Milky Way galaxy, shooting stars and satellites that it caught me off guard and it scared me for a short time.


If you have never been to a dark location; If you are only used to seeing a handful of constellations because they have the only stars bright enough to be visible through the light pollution in and around a decent sized city; and, if you have never seen the Milky Way stretch across a night sky without having to squint and search long and hard... then this will seem a little strange to you.


That's because in and around city lights... the thousands of smaller stars that are visible everywhere in a dark sky are not visible. So, only the brightest stars (those  in the constellations along with a handful of others) are the only stars that are visible. But, get far enough out of town, away from all of the street lights and other lights that go along with making a city safe... and you realize that those few constellations that you are used to seeing... are such a small part of what it really up there.


That is what happened to me that night so long ago. At about 2 AM, something woke me up. And, as I opened my eyes and looked up through the tree branches, my eyes beheld something that I had never seen before. At first, fright is what I felt. Then, as I realized what I was seeing, the fright was changed to amazement and wonderment. WOW, I said in my mind!

(This is a picture that I created, using the same picture of looking through the trees that I posted above... to give an example of what I saw that night when I was 8 years old. The only thing missing is the Milky Way that was there.)




OK, there you have it. This is where and when it all started for me. This sight that I saw back in the day... stayed with me throughout my life. And, I always wanted to see that night sky again. I'd go back up to camp in the same mountains, but it seemed that I could only go when the moon was out. The sky was still nice, but it still washed out thousands of stars. So, there had to be a way to create that same sky for people who lived in the city... and the idea for Night Sky Murals was born.


I will say that the "which way to go about doing the ceilings" isn't my own. It came from a company that is no longer in business. (I'd seen a very basic mural on a ceiling almost 30 years ago... and I knew that I could do that, and do it much better.) I started right away to try my hand at creating a night sky... and boy, did I fail. But, I kept at it and tried again and again.


The murals got better and friends started wanting me to paint one for them too. They would make comments and suggestions and I would implement their ideas (the good ones, that is). That went on for years and the murals just kept getting better until I was offered money to paint one. That was very cool. I did more and more murals, listened to suggestions, implemented them and then started painting again. Today, there are no murals of the night sky as realistic as a Night Sky Mural... and I have only my friends and former customers to thank for being unafraid to make suggestions.