Earthrise

When astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, retired from NASA in 1981 after a distinguished career, he decided to devote himself to his art. The historic space missions in which he participated are a rich source of inspiration, and he endeavors to capture in his paintings the exhilaration of that experience. As he noted in a recent interview, "They're not like Earth paintings. They don't look like Earth paintings. . . they're paintings from another world."

His work will be on display until April 2009 at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, in Austin, Texas, as part of their celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of NASA.

Bean's evocative paintings hint at the greater mysteries beyond the confines of our earth, from the perspective of one whose art is truly "off this world."