posted 05-02-2011 02:57 PM               

First Men: Neil A. Armstrong
by Alan Bean

• Limited Edition Print
  Image size: 18"w x 24"h.
  Edition Size: 200
  US: $295.00

• Masterwork Textured Canvas
  Image size: 30"w x 40"h.
  Edition Size: 75
  US: $1,350.00

The work of artist Alan Bean conveys the sense of space travel not only through subject and color but also texture. The tools that once helped him explore the moon, now help him put the moon's stamp on many of his paintings. Prior to painting the image, Bean covers the painting's surface with a texturing material. He then uses exact replicas of his Moon boots to make footprints across this surface that are just like all the Apollo boot prints remaining on the moon today. Next he uses the same geology hammer he worked with on the Apollo 12 mission to dig into the painting's surface. Finally, a sharp edged bit from one of the core tubes is used to make round indentations in the surface.

"I guess every astronaut wanted to be the first man on the Moon. I know I did," says Alan Bean. "And if we couldn't be the first, we at least wanted to be one of the first. Apollo 11's crew got the opportunity to make the first attempt. Neil, Buzz and Mike flew a perfect flight and went into the history books; but all 400,000 Americans that helped make Apollo a success are in that history, too.

"I think this painting is exactly how Astronaut Neil Armstrong looked as he took the now-iconic photo of his lunar companion, Buzz Aldrin," says the artist. "It is the image we would see in Buzz's gold visor in my painting 'First Men: Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin' if we could look close enough."

posted 10-28-2011 11:05 PM               

Plus, Alan signed and numbered it in gold.

I thought the "Jumpin John" giclee was incredible - there is no comparison between this and the Neil print. I know they only made 75 of them. Grab one if you still can. You won't be sorry.

(Now, if we could only get Neil to countersign it...)

And because it's a textured, canvas giclee, it doesn't need matting or need to be put behind glass. It just needs a simple frame. So, the next time your local Michael's runs a 60% off sale on framing, you'll walk off with a steal.

On edit: I'm still trying to figure out how they did the texturing! As Jay from ArtUSA says, this is a "must have" for any collection - and go the extra bucks for the textured canvas instead of the paper litho. You'll be impressed with its size, realism, colors and all of the texture - it looks 100% real. It had to be a very expensive process for them to do [I know the texturing was done in Canada because of its size] and I wonder if they'll be able to produce anything similar anywhere near that price again. I know this is sold out at the publisher, but I'd grab a copy while it's still at MSRP. Once they're gone, they're going to (at least) double in value very quickly.

posted 11-21-2011 04:58 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by andrewcli:
I vote for Moonrunning on the Ocean of Storms as the next giclee on canvas release, small work series.

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