Review of “Nancy Grace Roman, Mother of the Hubble Telescope” Cover Art by Gayle Cobb

Score: 94+/100 (9.4+ out of 10)

Nancy Grace Roman, Mother of the Hubble Telescope is an eye-catching, magnificent work of art by Gayle Cobb.

It portrays astrophysicist Nancy Grace Roman standing tall amidst the cosmos with a workbook her right hand and reaching out with her left, almost as if to hover or float like a fairy or angel among the stars.

This work almost portrays her like a constellation, among the very stars and nebulous gases that she helped to illuminate for the world to see!

She is portrayed in her younger years, perhaps in her 30s or early 40s. She wears green from head to toe, something we thought was an interesting choice. All in all, the color choice is excellent because it helps her to stand out among the dark purples and dark blues of the cosmos.

The slight wave of her black hair and her green dress imply that she is fly or floating through space. So, the illustrator was able to imply movement very well. It's also a very dramatic and striking pose.

Nancy Roman Grace's face is beautifully painted, looking out and up toward the sky/space, fitting with the title of the book for which this cover was made, Her Eyes Were on the Stars by Jennifer Sommer.

There's a look of awe, wonder, and—interestingly—maybe some sadness in her eyes. Perhaps this sadness comes from the fact that she wouldn't live long enough to see the full fruits of her labor—the colonization of space and the advent of interstellar travel.

The full painting, which runs outside of the cover, is actually even more magnificent since it shows a brighter, more star-rich part of the cosmos seemingly showering light downwards like a spotlight. We understand why this part was left out of the cover because it could be distracting, but it's amazing none the less.

The part chosen as the background for the cover was probably the better choice since it was darker and helped the central figure to stand out more.

One of the more experienced artists among us noted that the stages may have not been cleaned before painting and that the canvas may have been zoomed out with a large brush used. Overall, though, we were impressed by this painting!

What's more is that it opened our eyes to this incredible woman who did so much to help with the exploration and understanding of space around the world!

Check out illustrator Gayle Cobb here!