Artronaut B.E.Johnson

@imperialearth

Photographs That Haven't Been Taken Astronomical & Space Artist • Glassblower • 3D Modeler & Animator • Technical Illustrator • Production Designer • Photographer • Writer • Racing Engineer • Pilot Not a day goes by that I don't learn something new.

1,452 Following645 Followers126 Posts

YouTube Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and imperialearth.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Jan 28

40 Years? Seems like 10. I was Mission Artist on two launches, two landings. Paintings in the Smithsonian. Have my own Launch and Reentry Helmet, seen below. After this, my career as an astronomical/spaceflight artist took a hit, never to recover. Need to write about my experiences on Substack:

The Challenger crew portrait photo with their Launch and Reentry Helmets, same as mine. I'll never get to use it.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Jul 19

The Cover Art for James A. Michener's novel: SPACE. Was really fun walking through airports as I traveled and seeing it on display in the shops. #michener #art #covers #bookcover #coverart #space #spaceart #spaceprogram #spacecraft #mercury #gemini #apollo #shuttle #iss #orbit #airbrush #miniseries

Acrylic Airbrush on Strathmore illustration board - 48" x 30".
A crescent Moon floats in a soft blue nebula among the stars above the all-caps title: "SPACE".
A Mercury rocket rises from the pad into the title center, forming the letter "A".
Orange flames create blast clouds surrounding and engulfing the base of the title letters, extending to the edges of the scene.
The novel's author, "JAMES A. MICHENER", appears in red letters above the title.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Mar 15

So sorry. 😥 We recently lost two of our friends. We’re glass blowers, so when the end comes they are cremated and their ashes go into their kitty-face personalized vessels. Each is then inscribed with a phrase that is unique to their lives, so their essence lives on in our lives.

Blown glass cremation urn with kitty-face topper and etched inscription.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Mar 3

Six Untied States Senators need to do the Right Thing!

Full page ad in the March 3 New York Times calling for United States Senators McConnell, Collins, Murkowski, Tillis, Young and Curtis to get out from behind their shields and stand up!

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Mar 2

If renaming an international body of water is in the cards…

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Mar 1

Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦 #slavaukraini

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Feb 24

#BlueSkyMonday The Space Shuttle flying the Space Can Mission STS-51F imperialearth.com/cokefloat.html Painting titled: “Coke Float” Subtitled: “Coke Zero-G” (get it?)

Space Shuttle in orbit above a blue ocean. Coke Space Cans visible in flight deck windows.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Feb 19

Anyone out there watching “Paradise” on Hulu? You should. The parallels are staggering. You’ll be asking: “*When* was this written/filmed?” Sterling K. Brown as Agent Xavier Collins, the lead agent on the president's Secret Service security detail.

Sterling K. Brown as Agent Xavier Collins, the lead agent on the president's Secret Service security detail superimposed over an inverted film still. The parallels to what is going on now are staggering. Of course some doesn’t match up, like the underground entire city home to 25,000 people, but still…

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Feb 7

Our beautiful boy Hagrid, a huge black long hair, crossed over The Rainbow Bridge this evening at approx. 01:30. “Spirit of the Sea” on “All Things Must End” by David Helpling was playing for him while we kept vigil. We will miss him forever. 😩😥😭 bengalmania.org/rescue/hagri... #cats #rescues

Hagrid, a long hair huge cat barely fitting in the top of the kitty tower, arm hanging over the edge.

This song was playing for him as he passed over The Rainbow Bridge. Wait for me buddy. I”ll be along soon enough.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Jan 17

Nice. Me too. How about this one? Took nearly a month.

24” x 48” on Strathmore illustration board.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Jan 8

Today’s Cat(s) Separated at birth. Eiffel and Smudge #cats #rescues

Smudge is recovering after a vet visit and showed up in my feed just after I posted Eiffel’s #cats update.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Jan 5

Today’s Cat Oreo, a rescue ~ now renamed Eiffel, (has a notable tower on his forehead (pretty sure he doesn’t know it’s there - or if he does, doesn’t realize it’s special)) lounging on a soft quilt. Still trying to gain his trust. He’s getting better but some are a tough sell. #cats #rescues

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Jan 3

Today’s Cat “Ahhhh… The Blower of Warms!” Silicon, a rescue, sleeping on her favorite floor register. May not be as comfy as a floofy bed, but the warm more than makes up for it.

One of our rescues sleeping on a floor register. May be uncomfortable but warm makes up for it.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 28

Just realized I posted Watson a few hours too soon or he would have been my Caturday post. So, here’s another: “Watson, did you get hit by the Crosstown Bus?” #caturday #rescues #cats

Watson, a rescue, all stretched out on the kitchen floor.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 28

Yayyyy! Got a new boiler for my espresso machine for Christmas! Took half the day to install it. #coffee #espresso

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 27

Today’s Cat Watson, in all his majestic wonderfullness. Part Maine Coon. Part Clown. Always Faithful. Often found in boxes. #cats #rescues

Watson, a rescue and a good friend. Part Maine Coon. Part Clown. Always Faithful. Often found in boxes.
#cats #rescues

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 15

My Christmas Greeting to the STARDUST Team I created one of these each year, modifying the original file. Adding extra layers for the lights and tree. BTW, these paintings were done with a trackball, not a digital tablet with a pen. LOTS of trial & error! #art #digital-painting ##NASA #spacecraft

The original digitally-painted art modified for the Christmas season with multi-colored lights around the perimeter of the spacecraft's solar arrays and the Sun as a tree-topper for a solar system sized tree in the distance.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 12

STARDUST Spacecraft Detail I'd get new data from Lockheed-Martin and would update the painting to reflect the design changes. Kept running out of layers in Photoshop and had to combine to keep going. Three panoramas tell the story of this historic mission. #art #digital-painting #NASA #spacecraft

Detail of the STARDUST spacecraft and Comet Wild-2 coma it is about to enter to capture samples for return to Earth. The samples are collected in aerogel contained in the tennis racket looking arm extended above the solar arrays.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 12

"Encounter ~ The Final Trim" After its five year journey, the STARDUST™ spacecraft prepares to be overrun by Comet Wild-2 and return the first samples to Earth. This is my first digitally-painted work. Just decided to try it to see how far I could get; painting while the spacecraft was being built.

Painted prior to launch, this is the first of 3 panoramas telling the story of this historic mission to capture samples of a comet and return them to Earth.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 5

Moe, a rescue, forever in my heart and forever with me. She was a black shorthair. Small but feisty. She caused us to get into cat rescue by choosing ME. Walked right up, stared into my eyes and said: "You're taking all of us!" (Larry on the cat ladder was her brother.) I miss her so much. #cats

She was a black shorthair. Fairly small but feisty nonetheless.
I will always miss her and her big heart. She caused us to get into cat rescue by choosing me. Walked right up and said: "You're taking all of us!" Used to nuzzle my face, so she gained the nickname: "Nose Monkey".

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 5

Today's Cat She'll always be with us. 6" tall x 4.5" dia. When we taught ourselves to blow glass we began to honor our Friends With Fur upon their passing from our midst. We now create loving memorials to them of various types: bengalmania.org/crystals-kit... #cats #rescues #memorials #glassblowing

Moe, a rescue, forever in my heart and forever with me. This is her kitty-face topper urn that rests on my desk each day. 6" tall x 4.5" dia. (15.24 x 11.43 cm) blown glass.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Dec 4

Thanks for compiling this one. Followed all. Some of the others I've followed ended up becoming way too political and not enough inspiration. Yours is a refreshing break. I work in watercolor acrylic and graphite. Some wildlife, mostly birds. Astronomical/Space, though, has been my main focus.

A Golden Eagle soaring into the clouds.
Watercolor 22" (55.9cm) x 8.4" (21.33cm)

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 30

"Arrakis - Dune" Desert Planet — Home of the Fremen The Eyes of Ibad see more than one may realize and their tears are precious beyond measure. Acrylic on Strathmore illustration board 30" (76.2cm) x 15.6" (39.6cm) #art #airbrush #science-fiction #books #film

An Acrylic painting of "Arrakis — Dune". A desert planet. Home of the Fremen and the only source of the Spice Melange produced by the Sand Worms.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 30

Today's Cat More Sleeping... Silicon, a rescue, sleeping on a heating pad on the backrest of the couch, watched over by ChernaGoofy. #cats #rescues #disney #chernabog

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 27

This was on display in a show at the George Eastman House and I overheard a respected colleague remark: "It must have taken him forever to draw that Helvetica typeface. Hard to draw anyway, but there's two e's, two s's, three t's and they each have to match the others!" It did.

Detail showing the "United States" lettering on the Space Shuttle fuselage.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 27

"Out Takin' Five" You are part of the care and feeding of the Hubble Space Telescope. Acrylic and India Ink on Strathmore illustration board. 30" (76.2cm) x 15.5" (39.4cm) #art #airbrush #space-shuttle #spaceflight #nasa #hubble-space-telescope

Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission. Canadarm has grappled the telescope. Your colleague is floating toward it while tethered to the shuttle. Your tether extends from the payload bay toward you on the left.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 27

Today’s Cat Butters evaluating one of our cast glass cat beds. His take? "It’s pretty comfy. Certainly better than a cardboard box. I’m round. The bed should be too!” #cats #rescues

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 25

I'm in the orange coveralls. The only person authorized to have a camera on the field. Nothing like standing under a hot Space Shuttle! You don't realize it until you walk out from under it. The desert gets pretty cold really quick when the sun goes down. #art #airbrush #space-shuttle #smithsonian

Space Shuttle Columbia STS-9/Spacelab One at rest on the dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 24

"Reflections" That which has gone before and that which shall come after, reflected for a fleeting moment in an Astronaut's visor at the close of the final EVA. Past and Future Converged on the Present.

Astronaut on the Moon with LM in the background. Reflected in the gold visor of the EVA suit are the Wright Brother's Flyer and a Space Station Colony. Past and future converged on the present.

Artronaut B.E.Johnson@imperialearth· Nov 24

Today’s Cat There’s nothing more peaceful than a sleeping cat. This is Marie. She’s a rescue. American Shorthair. Cow spotted. It’s taken quite a while to gain her trust, but she’s getting better. Persecuted one of the other ferals though, until we finally separated them. #cats #rescues