UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 32, Page 3
May 21, 1992
Rowe's 'Infinite Voyage' bound for NASA museum

     The human spirit-constantly challenged and seeking new
worlds-takes the form of a faceless astronaut clutching a small space
shuttle launching out of clouds of smoke into the unexplored depths of
outer space.
     This surrealistic image is Infinite Voyage, an oil painting by
professor Charles Rowe, art, which will be displayed this fall at the
NASA Space Museum at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
     Rowe, coordinator of the illustration area in the Department of
Art, won the chance to witness Mission ST30 of NASA's space shuttle
launch in April 1989.
     For each launch of the space shuttle, NASA invites four or five
artists to watch and interpret the experience, Rowe said.
     Nearly 20 years old, NASA's art program allows various artists to
participate and welcomes the original images they choose. Artists such
as Jamie Wyeth and Paul Collie have participated in the program in the
past, Rowe said.
     During his visit, the space shuttle's launch was canceled because
of technical difficulties 30 seconds before take-off.
     However, Rowe's experience at Cape Canaveral let him see NASA's
extensive research and its potential for improving life on Earth.
"They're just really at the very beginning," he said. "There's so much
more to go."
     Rowe develops his own symbols and researches information instead
of working from a still-life object. In Infinite Voyage, Rowe used
ladder forms for surreal images that are not totally accurate, he
said.
     A member of the Society of Illustrators in New York City, Rowe
also has completed two paintings for the U.S. Air Force Collection in
Washington, D.C. Rowe designed the print for the Delaware duck stamp
in 1981.
     Currently, he is preparing for three one-person exhibitions in
the fall and the spring. NASA is lending Rowe Infinite Voyage for his
September show in his hometown of Great Falls, Mont., he said.
     Rowe is also painting a 15-by-9 foot memorial for the chief
architect of the Montana State Justice Building.
     His experiences are passed along to art students because Rowe
integrates what he learns from participating in such programs into
teaching illustration, painting and drawing. "It gives them a sense of
what's out there," he said.
      -Karyn McCormack