Caelum Moon

Posted on June 24, 2026

If you’ve followed my work since the early 2000s you’ll know that I like to render planets and then render views of them from the ground.   I had a pretty good system worked out for that using VUE but it’s a bit more complicated in Blender.    I tried but eventually gave up trying to create this scene in Blender and went back to VUE.   It may yet be possible though and I will certainly explore all the options, especially with Tiamat incoming.

The goal here was to use Gaea to create a suitably alien looking landscape, something that complimented the color scheme of the planet overhead.   Hope you all enjoy it!

Ajisai no Kaidan (Night v.2)

Posted on June 13, 2026

As I said before, I’ve played around with a lot of different variations on lighting the night version of “Ajisai no Kaidan”. Here’s another iteration with a bit more moonlight and a bit less lantern light.

Ajisai no Kaidan (Night)

Posted on June 12, 2026

As soon as I added the lanterns to my “Ajisai no Kaidan” scene I knew I was going to do a night version.   The tricky part here was adding other sources of light to the rest of the scene to balance out the firelight.    After about 10 different test renders I think I’ve found an acceptable mix.   I hope you all enjoy it!

Needless to say Japan left a big impression on me.   Don’t be surprised if I create a few more renders inspired by our trip in the months ahead.

Ajisai no Kaidan

Posted on June 8, 2026

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, both Ian and Jason just graduated from college within a week of each other.  For their graduation present we asked them where in the world they would most like to travel to and without hesitation they both agreed on wanting to visit Japan.   We’ve been planning the trip for almost a year now and last week we returned home after 9 amazing days seeing as much of Tokyo and Kyoto as we could.   It was an unforgettable experience and left a deep impression on me.  I can’t wait to go back and see more of the country.

Needless to say I was quite inspired to create some new artwork upon returning home (after shaking off the jetlag).   Two of the things that impressed me the most during our trip were the many shrines we saw and the lovely flowers (especially hydrangeas) that were ubiquitous this time of year. I thought it would be fitting to combine the two. The term “Ajisai no Kaidan” translates to “Hydrangea Stairs” and it’s my commemoration of an unforgettable time in an amazing country.

Remembrance (2026)

Posted on May 22, 2026

With Memorial Day approaching I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to revisit my “Remembrance” VUE scene from 2017 and see if I could improve on it using Blender.   I created that render to honor Remembrance Day (a commonwealth holiday) but as the poppy is the universal symbol for remembering those fallen in military service it seemed appropriate for the American observance.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

by John McCrae, May 1915

As with my 2017 version, not trying to do anything too flashy or overt here.   Just wanting to honor those who sacrificed all and the families they left behind.