Don Davis (Donald E. Davis, born October 21, 1952) is an Americanspace artist known for his portrayals of space-related subjects. His work is characterised by attention to detail and authentic portrayals based on what is known of the subject.Chesley Bonestell, considered by many to be one of the most accomplished practitioners of the space art genre, critiqued Davis' early paintings and encouraged him to pursue an artistic career.[1]
Davis worked for the U. S. Geological Survey's branch of Astrogeologic Studies during the Apollo Lunar expeditions and has since painted many images forNASA. The NASA art included portrayals of interiors of giant space colonies, based on the work of Gerard O'Neill.[2][3][4] He was part of the team of space artists gathered to provide the visual effects for the PBS seriesCosmos byCarl Sagan. Later he painted the cover of Sagan's Pulitzer Prize–winning bookThe Dragons of Eden. Other books by Carl Sagan including Don's work areComet andPale Blue Dot.
Davis has made numerous paintings ofimpact events for publications and for NASA. In the early 1980s he created planetary texture maps for use in Jet Propulsion Laboratory computer graphic simulations of the Voyager encounters with the outer planets. During the 1980s and early 1990s Davis created models and film animations as part of the visual effects production teams for thePBS showsPlanet Earth,Infinite Voyage,Space Age, andLife Beyond Earth with Timothy Ferris.
He painted and filmed in 35 mm an animation of the Galileo probe entry into Jupiter for NASA Ames. Numerous sequences forDiscovery Channel science shows such asSavage Sun andCosmic Safari were later created using computer graphic animation methods. Animations done in immersive hemispheric formats for planetarium type domed theaters now form the balance of his work.
Davis received anEmmy for his work onCosmos, winning the 1981Emmy for Outstanding Individual achievement in creative technical crafts.[5] Also in 2002, the Klumpke-Roberts Award by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific for outstanding contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy. The asteroid 13330 Dondavis is named after him.[6] In 2000 he was elected a Fellow in theInternational Association of Astronomical Artists.
Note: The sources for the rest of the biographical information in this article are found at the first reference.
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