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.

An Amazing Week!

Posted on May 20, 2026

I was a pretty amazing week for my family so I had to share it here. Both Ian and Jason graduated Summa Cum Laude from their universities within a week of each other!

Jason, who earned his Computer Science BS, was the youngest graduate of Illinois State University this year at only 19 years old. He took dual-credit classes while in high school and earned an Associates Degree along with his diploma two years ago.

Ian earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from Bradley University while working a parallel co-op internship with Caterpillar.

Both Ian and Jason start full-time engineering positions this summer and we couldn’t be prouder of them. In the meantime they are both home with their parents for a month before moving into their own place as roommates so I’m going to enjoy every last moment before Jessie and I finally become empty nesters.

Caelum

Posted on May 13, 2026

Between helping Cris debug the Digital Blasphemy API (it’s coming!) and both my kids graduating from college the past week or so has been pretty busy for me. I didn’t have a lot of time to sit down and concentrate on artwork but I did manage to sneak in a few hours in the early mornings this past weekend to do a little rendering.   

The goal was pretty simple, to take the planet I created for “Gazebo” and evolve it to something a bit more colorful and worthy of a close-up view.   I hope you enjoy the result while I ponder a “from the ground” view 🙂

Nested Loops III

Posted on May 6, 2026

A darker version of “Nested Loops” was requested and I’m happy to oblige. Here’s something of a “night version” for the folks who want something a little more subdued on their desktop.

Nested Loops II

Posted on May 5, 2026

As promised I’m working on a few different color variations of “Nested Loops“. Here’s the second. I will post at least one more shortly and leave them all in the gallery until it’s decided which one you guys like the best.