S_V_H The Blue Danube image 2
First image of the Top Moon section of Artwork
I am fortunate to bring this artwork into existents. I base it on the music, The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II, from the movie 2001 Space Odyssey. Luckily YouTube offers a clip of the music from the movie that still amazes me, and that captivated my imagination then. As a kid I grew up in the space age knowing the names of the nine planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (now considered a dwarf planet). No matter, from the start Saturn was always my favorite. Its name started with an S (for Scott) and those rings made the planet even more special. I remember having a paper cutout mobile of the solar system that hung in my bedroom.
One other recall, from that time, was a Christmas wish for a telescope, that I never got. My parents said something about the order not being sent. I never asked either of them if there was more to the telescope story. Throughout my life, I debated buying a telescope; I have not. I now live in the city that has a bright sky, street lights, and few stars which makes a telescope an impractical idea. And yet, I found a new connection to my past. Our latest house is on a hill facing south towards the city. To my surprise, I can see the moon many nights throughout the year. An unexpected delight is finding the moon, during the night, as it moves across our bedroom windows. Didn’t need a telescope then. Don’t need it now. Wonderful that on many nights the spirit of that little boy, and the space age he grew up with, lives on.
Scott Von Holzen
