February 17, 2009
Added three new sketches to the Portraits section.

August 23, 2008
Added several new photos of the Space Station Catalhoyuk model in the Models section.

March 12, 2008
Added an abstract work to the Paintings section. This piece was done in pastels while I was visiting the Denver Museum of Art. The museum has a collection of Clyfford Still works, most of which don't interest me. However, one piece he worked on in 1937 caught my attention immediately because it was an abstract depiction of the human-machine interface. In 1937, this painting captured the artist's impression of the American agrarian-industrial shift. I was inspired to sketch a few similar concepts while at the museum, and I intend to explore the idea of the human-machine interface more thoroughly in the coming months. It was also an opportunity to dive into abstraction, which is difficult for me but more likely to capture the passion I feel about some of the subject matter I want to explore.

March 10, 2008
Added a "three dimensional painting" to the Paintings section. This is a talking stick fashioned with a cosmological theme, designed for use during certain meetings at work. Talking sticks, which need not be works of art, have been used by many Native American tribes for millennia as a way to symbolize the readiness of a person to speak and be heard without interruption during meetings. Perhaps the tradition started when someone smacked a rude, overbearing talker on the head with a stick.

March 7, 2008
Back in February I was interviewed about the U.S. shoot-down of the wayward NROL-21 satellite. The CBS clip is here (look for Navy Attempts to Shoot Down Satellite) and the ABC video is here (look for Critics Question Motives In Shooting Down Satellite).

March 5, 2008
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section. Also added several new photos of Discovery Space Shuttle model I have been working on here (click on Space Shuttle Discovery).

February 29, 2008
Just a note to say all is well. I have added a new page where I will put all the advertising and marketing stuff I've worked on through the years. It seemed a good idea.

August 17, 2007
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section, a new painting in the Paintings section, and photos of a completed model (the Y-Wing from Star Wars fame) in the Scale Models section. Also, my Diana sketch (1989) will be featured in Mem Memet's book Diana in Art, to be released this month. Thanks for asking for my contribution, Mem - I am truly honored!

July 2, 2007
My sketch of Yuri Gagarin was a featured artwork during the Yuri's Night celebration on Second Life. Check it out here and here.

May 1, 2007
Finished designing the website for the Humanist Society of New Mexico.

March 15, 2007
Added a bunch of new sketches in the Marker Sketches section.

March 10, 2007
Added a new painting, finally, to the Paintings section. The piece, entitled Proterozoic, is my first oil painting (not including the silly messes I created long ago with my mom's paints). Also note that six rather large paintings will be added to the gallery by the end of April. These represent a very ambitious project for the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University, where they will be displayed during that organization's 30th anniversary celebration in late April.

February 23, 2007
Added new sketches in the Doodles Sketches section.

December 2, 2006
Modified my Geological Time Scale to reflect work done by Ray Kurzweil, specifically that which is described in his recent book, The Singularity is Near. Also, I just moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for a better job, which is why there hasn't been much activity here. However, a good deal of work was done, and I hope to receive permission to post several new artworks soon.

September 14, 2006
Modified my Geological Time Scale to reflect work done by astronomers Lisa Kaltenegger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and Wesley Traub of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. See more about a "scale" they developed to help in the search for terrestrial extrasolar planets here.

September1, 2006
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

August 22, 2006
One of my paintings was recently used as an illustration for an article written by a good colleague of mine, Nick Fuhrman. The magazine, Jezebel, is a local publication in Atlanta, Georgia. Check out the cover page, contributor page, and the article itself.

July 5, 2006
Just a reminder to visitors - all artwork and most text on this website has a copyright. Contact the owner of the artwork or contact me directly for permission to use any material on this website. Specific pieces of writing, and one PowerPoint, also have copyrights as of July 5, 2006 - so do not use any of this material without express permission. Thanks!

June 20, 2006
Added a new portrait in the Portraits section. This particular sketch was done for a very good client, Curtis Roos, and actually consists of three portraits - the astronauts of Apollo 13 as they might have appeared several days into their harrowing journey.

June 13, 2006
Bear with me. My job has sapped every ounce of inspiration from my soul, so my desire to paint, draw, and build things has diminished considerably. I expect I will emerge from my creative funk soon enough, however. Stay tuned...

May 2, 2006
Added two new sketches in the Marker Sketches section.

March 21, 2006
Added some pictures of another model I am currently working on in the Scale Models section.

March 16, 2006
Added some pictures of a model I am currently working on in the Scale Models section.

February 28, 2006
Added two new sketches in the Marker Sketches section.

January 28, 2006
I decided a few weeks ago to move forward with my plan to start learning to paint in oils. My plan is to paint a base on canvas with acrylics, then go over that in oils (half paste and glazes, etc.). I went out today and bought several hundred dollars worth of paints, medium, and mineral spirits. My wallet is now in intensive care at a local Atlanta hospital. Time to make more money with my artwork. I'm still waffling on digital art, but I've got the tools to forge ahead one day on that (it's not nearly as inviting as the aroma of oils, the look of a blank canvas, and a brush in hand). Stay tuned...

January 18, 2006
Added a tutorial page on how I sketch portraits with marker and color pencil. Check it out here.

January 17, 2006
Rescanned my old Diana sketch.

January 9, 2006
Added a new sketch in the Portraits section.

January 7, 2006
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

January 6, 2006
Added two new sketches in the Marker Sketches section.

January 1, 2006
Added a new portrait in the Portraits section. This particular drawing was done to test a technique combining markers and colored pencils to achieve a desired effect. I am pleased with the end result (a portrait of French actress Sophie Marceau), though some colors are a little off - once applied, marker and colored pencil are nearly impossible to correct, though some degree of modification is possible.

December 31, 2005
Added a new painting in the Paintings section, this time definitely wrapping up 2005.

December 24, 2005
Added two new paintings in the Paintings section, wrapping up 2005.

December 23, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

December 16, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

December 15, 2005
Added a new scale model in the Models section.

December 10, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

December 3, 2005
I added a music feature to my website to provide a bit of ambiance (the music is an mp3 file). In the lower right section of the homepage, click on the link called "The Shape of Things to Come". The piece was written and performed by Bear McCreary, and is provided here with his permission. Note that the music copyright is owned by SciFi Channel, and cannot be reproduced without express permission from that company.

November 6, 2005
I'm on a role - I added yet another new sketch in the Marker Sketches section. I'm also working to complete a few commissions along the way.

November 4, 2005
Added another new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

November 3, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

November 2, 2005
Finished some quick sketches for the 4Frontiers Corporation. The organization will be putting together a website for children soon.

October 29, 2005
I just moved to Atlanta, Georgia and am getting settled in. I converted part of my basement to an art studio, so works will resume this weekend. I also have a new email address: phil@philsmith.us.

September 12, 2005
I submitted a short essay on the Astrazoic Eon for The Space Review. You can read it here.

September 6, 2005
My artwork for The Mars Foundation has been featured in wired.com.

August 30, 2005
Hurricane Katrina has really dealt a terrible blow to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Help as I did by sending money to the American Red Cross or America's Second Harvest.

August 29, 2005
I wrote a review of Dr. Steven Squyres' book Roving Mars for The Space Review. You can read the review here.

August 27, 2005
Added a new painting to the Paintings page. This particular piece (called "Happy Place" because we couldn't think of anything else) was painted by myself and my great friend Bermet Imankulova, who wanted to see what this business about painting was all about. She did a wonderful job, I think!

August 26, 2005
Added some photos to my Bio page.

August 25, 2005
Some of my artwork is featured on Space.com relating to an August 10, 2005 story about the Mars Homestead project. Check it out here.

August 20, 2005
Updated the geological time scale and five-million-year timeline.

August 18, 2005
Added a cultural timeline spanning five million years here.

August 10, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

August 9, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

August 5, 2005
Added a new sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

August 3, 2005
Added a new portrait in the Portraits section. This portrait was done in 1987; for some reason I neglected to add it to my website originally. I also added a slew of new drawings in the Design Sketches section.

August 1, 2005
Added a new marker sketch in the Marker Sketches section.

July 31, 2005
Added new marker sketches in the Design Sketches section.

July 19, 2005
Updated my Geological Time Chart, American timeline, and Defense Reorganization. I just had a few thoughts on these subjects today and wanted to capture them...

June 30, 2005
Updated my Links page. I've lost some inspiration this month, so bear with me. I feel it is coming back, but it's painfully slow...

June 10, 2005
New painting added to the Paintings page.

May 28, 2005
Participated in a book signing session with Buzz Aldrin and Wendell Minor at the National Air and Space Museum. Dr. Aldrin just released a children's book about his life, illustrated by Minor. It was a great honor to meet both men - and both were gracious enough to give me a signed copy of the book as a "thank you" for participating.

May 26, 2005
Added a new drawing in the Pencil Sketches section..

May 22, 2005
Erected my own artist booth for the first time in my life at the National Space Society's International Space Development Conference in Washington, DC. Business was astonishingly good: I sold a good deal of my work and received several commissions (a bunch of marker sketches, a model, and a painting or two). Say hello to Dave Robinson, who also opened his first artist booth across from mine. His outstanding work sold like hotcakes; I even bought three of his prints....

May 18, 2005
New painting added to the Paintings page.

May 17, 2005
New sketch added to the Portraits page.

May 3, 2005
New sketch added to the New Moon page.

May 2, 2005
Portrait of Jules Verne completed and added to the Portraits page.

May 1, 2005
Website launched.