Demo-2 was SpaceX’s first crewed spaceflight mission to the International Space Station. I’ve never felt that combination of terror and elation seeing our rocket liftoff carrying Bob and Doug. The experience of painting this moment was significantly more relaxing. I adored the opportunity to paint the sky in big, broad strokes. The rocket and launch infrastructure were a much more detailed affair, but they came together quickly. I love the reflection of the plume on the launch tower and crew access arm windows. The strongback isolated and disconnected at the bottom of the frame was also one of my favorite parts of this composition. Most photographs capture rocket and launch pad together at liftoff, but the proportions of this canvas and the location I wanted to rocket meant trimming the lower pad. In the end, this piece was another exercise in light and proportion on the largest scale I’d ever painted; the piece resides with a former coworker.