Copyright © 2003-2024 by Bob Bickers.  All rights reserved.

ON THE MOON

AN ARTIST’S INTERPRETATION OF THE EXPLORATION OF THE LUNAR SURFACE BY APOLLO 11 AND THE MISSIONS THAT FOLLOWED

Elaine Biondi Gallery Space | Monroeville, Pennsylvania | July 2019

This exhibition of paintings and photographs was open to the public throughout the month of July, 2019 at the Monroeville Public Library.  Check out the EXHIBITION GUIDE for more information.

A public lecture was given on July 11, 2019, entitled “Apollo 11 : Fifty Years a Memory”. A public reception on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing was held on July 20, 2019.

Below are the artwork and photographs that were on display.

1. Tranquility Base - Apollo 11; oil on canvas, 25 x 25. While Neil Armstrong busies himself with the scientific instruments, Buzz Aldrin explores the various ways to get around in 1/6 gravity.     

2. Neil Armstrong - First Lunar Explorer; oil on canvas, 25 x 25. This portrait of Armstrong is at the farthest point of his wanderings around the lander as he stops to closely examine a moon rock.    

3. Reunited with Surveyor 3 - Apollo 12; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  The second landing on the moon (Nov. 1969) involved visiting an old robotic explorer that had been there since April, 1967.     

4. Old Glory on the Moon; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  The flag was planted on the moon, not as a claim of territory, but as a statement of national pride of what the United States had accomplished.             

5. Apollo 14 at Fra Mauro; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  Alan Shepard, America’s first man in space, was commander of this mission to the lunar highlands, the mission that was to be performed by Apollo 13.

6. Scouting from the High Ground - Apollo 15; acrylic on canvas, 25 x 25. This was the first and only mission to start by opening the top hatch and surveying the lay of the land from the high vantage point of the top of the lunar lander.   

7. Chariot of Light; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  Apollo 15 was also the first mission to make use of the lunar rover, greatly expanding their range of exploration.

8. Hadley Rille; oil on canvas, 25 x 25. This collapsed lava tube provided an interesting landscape.  I chose to paint it in burnt umber, though it’s actual color is - you guessed it - shades of gray.

9. Kicking Up Some Dust at Hadley Rille - Apollo 15; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  Exploring the other end of Hadley Rille.  Dust cannot form a cloud on the moon; it follows ballistic trajectories when kicked.

10. Apollo 16 in the Lunar Highlands; oil on canvas, 25 x 25. Back to the mountains, the crew explores even more interesting terrain.     

11. Orange Soil; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  The only real color on the moon, this volcanic soil was actually discovered by the crew of Apollo 17, but it could have been found anywhere on the moon.  Besides, I liked this setting from the Apollo 16 mission better.

12. Fifty Shades of Gray; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  The gray lunar soil can play tricks on a camera, especially when it sticks to and covers a spacesuit so easily.

13. The First Step - Apollo 11; oil on canvas, 30 x 48.  Neil Armstrong is the first to place his foot on the moon.

14. That's One Hard Rock;  oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  Apollo 16 did indeed encounter some really impressive boulders.

15. Harrison Schmitt - First Scientist on the Moon; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  Of the 12 people who have walked on the moon, all were pilots or engineers but one. My portrait of the only geologist to go to the moon, and then on the last mission.

16. Really Big Moon Rocks - Apollo 17; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  The last mission stayed longer, traveled further and accomplished more than any of the other missions.

17. The Last Step - Apollo 17; oil on canvas, 25 x 25.  It would have been nice to return to the moon.  Hopefully, it will be soon.  And maybe, it will be an American that goes back...this time to stay.

18. He Who Orbits Alone Also Serves; acrylic on canvas, 25 x 25.  This is dedicated to the third man of the Apollo crew who circled the moon alone while his companions walked on the surface.  Without his skills and assistance, the mission would not have been possible.

19. Salute to Challenger; pen and ink on paperboard, 16 x 20.  I drew this after the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986.  The Apollo 17 lander was also named Challenger and here the flag is dipped in solemn respect.

20. The Bickers Family in 1969.  As a 13-year-old who was all caught up in the space program and wanted to be an astronaut,  I vividly remember that night on July 20, 1969 as our family watched the moon landing and men actually walking on the moon. Photo at left: At left is my brother, William; behind him holding the dog is myself and at right is my sister, Linda, and my mother, Alice Fay.  The photo was taken by my father, Robert Bickers, Sr., who is pictured in another photo (at right) taken shortly thereafter. More on these photos can be found here.

Postcard

Poster

Public Lecture Flyer

Exhibit Guide and Price List

For More about this Art Exhibit, see:

•  Bob’s Art Blog at Posts 98, 99, & 100
•  The Original Press Release
•  Bob’s Biographical Sheet
•  The Exhibit Guide and Price List
•  The Monroeville Library Flyer for the lecture “Apollo 11 : Fifty  Years a Memory”

Display Case of Bob’s Apollo 11 Memorabilia

(Above) Images of Bob’s lecture at the Monroeville Public Library on July, 11, 2019 and the reception of On the Moon on July 20, 2019. Featured are Bob Bickers and his wife,Diane.