I want to zoom way, way out and look at us humans as minorly important just like everything else. We are not the center of our world.
Working laboriously with a simple mechanical pencil, Robyn O’Neil creates vast, imagined worlds inspired by a broad array of interests—from landscapes and meteorology, to art history and science fiction, to movies and pop culture. Though the subjects in her images vary, the overwhelming power of nature remains a constant. One can consider these images as a contemporary extension of 18th-century philosopher Edmund Burke’s notion of the sublime, or “feelings of awe mixed with terror.” O’Neil, however, often tempers that terror with humorous titles—here she references beloved tortillas and actor Paul Benedict’s role as “the number painter” on the children’s television program Sesame Street.
