Richard Rowan’s new Infinite collection offers breathtaking views of the Milky Way

Into the Infinite

Richard’s exacting method of painting on glass – from the reverse side – means that his skills have been tested in portraying the magical galaxy of the Milky Way and its incredible detail. “The Milky Way is something that you don't really see, especially in London because of the light pollution, so you see it in its full glory when you travel,” says Richard.

“You need to be where there’s less pollution, so we’ve noticed the Milky Way in Thailand, and we made a special trip to Gran Canaria just to show the children the stars from there. They got completely involved in it and took their telescopes up the mountains. The next trip planned is to Scotland to see if we can pick up quite a few Milky Way photos and maybe an aurora if we're really lucky”.

It was 'Utopia' which was a breakthrough piece for Richard in this collection, as it was whilst painting it that he realised he had mastered painting the Milky Way, quite an emotional moment, and sparked the whole collection.

One of the reasons Richard found himself painting the Milky Way was that it can be seen from anywhere in the world. “It’s very inclusive as it's everywhere, not just in one particular part of the world, so it does have universal appeal,” he explains. The Infinite pieces are based on views Richard has seen in Scotland, Finland and Norway.

Featured art: 'Utopia' by Richard Rowan. Original oil artwork on glass, £4,950; limited edition giclée on glass, £795.

A family affair

Richard has always been interested in astronomy, and has been delighted that his children are following in his footsteps. During the Covid pandemic, the Rowan family were having building work done on their house, which meant they could look through a space in the roof to look at the stars, and Richard shared his knowledge with his children, who are now big astronomy fans themselves.

“I was trying to explain to the children how far away the Milky Way is, and how mind-bendingly big the universe is, and the kids couldn't get their heads around it,” Richard explains. “So, I was spending a lot of time in the garden with footballs, tennis balls and golf balls trying to explain exactly where we are and how big our solar system is – every night I could see that it was melting their brains!” Being involved with astronomy has made Richard’s children feel closer to his art. “They don't let me go out on my own any more, so we'll go off to do some night photography together.

“Since I’ve put birds in the pictures representing them, they've wanted to be included. They want to know how to do the painting too, but it's a bit difficult for them to understand how I paint in reverse. They're advising me as well, telling me when we should go out to see a great sky or a comet and sometimes they're telling me what to paint!”

Below: Richard signing his latest work at Castle Fine Art HQ.