The Solar System in oil.
We’re pretty privileged to live in a solar system with such an array of color, texture, and shape. Perhaps our planets get a bad rap for their harsh climates or bone crushing atmospheres, but observed from the safety of our green and blue marble, they can be admired for their striking beauty. Swirls of red beige and orange, impossibly vivid blues and aquas, and dark craters that tell the story of brutality endured. Celestial Bodies is a project that looks to capture the complexities of our neighborhood in a medium that isn’t traditionally associated with space: oil paint. Using carefully selected slices of each planet, we highlighted their nuances and individuality by hand painting their vastly different surfaces. Oil paint really allows a scene to be dramatized through texture, and the smooth swirls and rocky craters really shine with this added dimension. We selected a chassis that would allow for the surface of each planet and its nuances to really shine, and after a lot of deliberation, decided to leave the external chassis completely unaltered aside from the front panel. Internally, a gorgeous hand painted GPU backplate takes center stage, and soft lighting paired with a gently rotating planet pair harmoniously with the unfussy elegance of this PC’s design. The end result is a striking example of the beauty in juxtaposition, and how a simple canvas allows your attention to rest where it belongs, on the exquisiteness of the celestial bodies inhabiting our corner of space.
-Domenic Apice, Creative Director