PAINTINGS UNFIT FOR VISION
When William Herschel discovered infrared light in 1800 he poetically termed it: ‘Light unfit for vision’. Inspired by this, and modern infrared astronomy, I have begun creating images of imagined exoplanet landscapes that can only be viewed with thermal cameras. The first finished piece in this series was unveiled in the Faraday Lecture Theatre at the Royal Institution, London. On the same stage where colour photography was first demonstrated, in July 2025, so too was the first infrared painting.
The James Webb Space Telescope is beginning to discover new worlds using infrared light.
Now you can too…
Exoplanet Landscape (Study 5) on display at Bristol Festival of Tech, Creativity and Culture in October 2025
The sale of the prints and paintings from this series helps to support The MoSAIC’s bursary scheme helping to bring art-science to young people who have experienced disadvantage.
Exoplanet Landscape (Study 5)
The first successful image in this series was inspired by the binary star system Kepler 16 A/B. The original ink drawing shows an imaginary landscape of a rock planet orbiting these two stars which was then translated into a painting that can only be viewed with thermal imaging.
Original ink study for Exoplanet Landscape
Exoplanet Landscape (Study 5) viewed in visible light
Thermograph of Exoplanet Landscape (Study 5)
