Michael W. Carroll is an esteemed astronomical artist and science writer whose work has graced the pages of renowned magazines such as TIME, National Geographic, and Astronomy. His art has even ventured into space, having flown aboard the Russian space station Mir and NASA's Phoenix Mars lander. Carroll is also a founding member and Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) and the recipient of the Lucien Rudaux Award for outstanding lifetime achievement in the astronomical arts.
Career
Carroll has authored over 30 books for both children and adults, covering a wide range of topics from space to paleontology. Among his works is a Christian book series for children. His talents have been recognized and commissioned by prestigious organizations such as NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Planetary Society. Additionally, Carroll served as the staff artist for the Reuben Fleet Space Theater, one of the world's largest planetariums and OMNIMAX theatres located in San Diego.
An example of Carroll's stunning space art from his series of Exploring the Planets and Moons
Painting
Carroll's art has appeared in several hundred magazines worldwide, including SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, SKY & TELESCOPE, ASIMOV’S, SMITHSONIAN, and ASTRONOMY NOW (UK). He is a member of the NASA Arts Program and was an invited participant on a U.S. Geological Survey expedition to the Bering Glacier in Alaska, where he documented the research through paintings. In 2016, Carroll headed an expedition to Antarctica's Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano in the world. His murals include two 70-foot works for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, as well as large works in Michigan, California, Nebraska, and for Lockheed/Martin and the Planetary Society. One of his paintings is on the surface of Mars—in digital form—aboard the Phoenix spacecraft.
International Association of Astronomical Artists
In 1981, Carroll played a pivotal role in a space art show sponsored by the Planetary Society during the live transmission of close-up photos of Saturn by Voyager II. As the curator of the exhibition, he helped bring together a group of astronomical artists who would go on to form the IAAA. Carroll organized the second annual workshop in Death Valley, California, in 1983. The IAAA was formally registered as an association in 1986, thanks to the rapidly growing membership.
Carroll's contributions to the field extended internationally when he was one of seven North American space artists invited by the Space Research Institute of the former USSR to attend the Space Future Forum in Moscow in 1987. There, he collaborated with Soviet scientists and artists and helped establish the Dialogues project, a series of workshops and exhibitions involving artists from the Soviet Union, the United States, and Europe. His artwork has had the unique distinction of being part of Russia's doomed Mars 96 mission, flying aboard Mir, and residing on the surface of Mars in digital form aboard the Phoenix Lander.
Writing
Michael Carroll is the recipient of the American Astronomical Society Division of Planetary Science’s Jonathan Eberhart Award for best science article of the year. Among his 32 published books, Carroll and his wife, Caroline, have coauthored over a dozen children's books. The Exploring God’s World series includes the Gold Medallion finalist Dinosaurs. The highly popular science-themed Absolutely Awesome (Tyndale) has sold 30,000 copies so far. Other titles include Living Among Giants, Earths of Distant Suns, Alien Volcanoes (Johns Hopkins University Press 2008), Smithsonian Books' Envisioning Exoplanets, and Drifting on Alien Winds (2011), which explores the weather on other planets and moons. His most recent works include Living Among Giants: Exploring and Settling the Outer Solar System and Plato's Labyrinth: dinosaurs, ancient Greeks, and time travelers. Carroll is also a science journalist and children’s author, having written for magazines such as Astronomy, Popular Science, Astronomy Now (UK), Asimov’s, Analog, Sky & Telescope, Clubhouse, and Artists magazines.
Teaching
Carroll lectures and teaches internationally. He has led numerous workshops on writing, art, and astronomy, and has been a guest speaker and teacher at various churches, museums, and aerospace facilities. Carroll lives with his lovely wife, Caroline, near their two fine children in the Denver, Colorado area.
Links:
