A contemporary pietra dura portrait exploring the intersection of space exploration, advanced lapidary techniques, and both terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials, inspired by Kennedy Space Center firefighter James Deans.
Created in celebration of America's Semiquincentennial, Ad Astra honors the often-unseen specialists whose expertise makes human spaceflight possible. Rather than depicting an astronaut, the mosaic portrays Kennedy Space Center firefighter, EMT, HazMat specialist, and Astronaut Search and Rescue Team member James Deans, recognizing the broader community of professionals whose work supports every launch and landing. The portrait is set before Launch Complex 39A and the Vehicle Assembly Building, placing the subject within one of the most significant engineering landscapes in American history.
The mosaic explores the expressive possibilities of contemporary pietra dura through an expanded material palette that combines traditional ornamental stones with minerals rarely encountered in mosaic practice. Italian marbles establish the portrait, while cobaltite, niccolite, hypersthene, palm wood, agatized wood, serpentine, lapis lazuli, and other natural materials contribute their distinctive colors, structures, and optical qualities. Fragments of etched octahedrite meteorite introduce an entirely new material category to the composition, preserving the Widmanstätten crystal structure formed over hundreds of millions of years within an asteroid. Rather than imitating metallic surfaces with conventional stone, the work allows terrestrial and extraterrestrial materials to contribute their own visual character.
By bringing together geological processes, advanced lapidary techniques, and the history of American space exploration, Ad Astra examines the relationship between material and meaning. Stones that formed deep within the Earth are presented alongside fragments that originated beyond it, linking the permanence of the geological record with humanity's pursuit of worlds beyond our own. The result is both a portrait and a study of material culture, where craftsmanship, engineering, and scientific discovery converge within the enduring medium of stone.