Spaceship Through the Blue study 2000

John Conrad Berkey made this painting, Spaceship Through the Blue study, and it feels like a scene pulled straight from a dream of the future. The brushwork is loose, almost like he's sketching with paint, building up the spaceship and its cosmic surroundings with layers of blues and whites. It's a process of discovery, where the image emerges from the act of painting itself. Look at the texture, the way he’s loaded the brush, especially in the background. You can almost feel the bristles dragging across the surface, creating these energetic, swirling patterns. Then there are the more defined areas, like the spaceship itself, where he’s used a lighter touch to suggest form and detail. And it all makes me think of Syd Mead, another visionary artist who wasn't afraid to embrace the messy, unpredictable nature of creativity. In art, meaning is never fixed, it's always in motion, transforming with each new viewing.