COSMOS

VanDillen grew up in Florida’s Space Coast, and watching rocket launches throughout her childhood will always be a treasured memory. The way everything pauses for just a few minutes, it feels as if the whole world is holding it’s breath. They way people stop what they are doing and run outside when they hear that unique rumble, or pull the car over to the side of the road, so they can watch that fiery beacon of hope soar into the sky above. It is hard to imagine anything else that can cause such a distinct pause in the hustle-and-bustle of modern life, especially something that can be a uniting experience for a diverse group of strangers.

Fast-forward to today, with the amazing cooperation among various space organizations and constant advances in technology, and you have the recipe for some truly awe-inspiring imagery. VanDillen has based many paintings on images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, and with the new, more powerful James Webb Space Telescope sending back incredible new images, there are soon to be many more cosmic paintings in VanDillen’s future.