Look At All Those Rocket Ships! 20 x 15" Print

Ultra Limited Edition (5 total) Look At All Those Rocket Ships! 20 x 15 inch print on elegant 310 gsm matte paper with a half inch border.

Each print is signed, numbered and includes a certificate of authenticity.

While on the surface, this may appear to be a simple painting chronicling the declining cultural interests in all things Western as the Space Race captured the hearts of the world, closer examination reveals more subtle intricacies embroidered within the depiction of this cosmic terrestrial artifact.
Years before the official start to the Space Race, renowned Western fashion designer Clyde Walker noticed his classic Western Shirts’ sales declining in patterns that ran proportionate to advancements in the aerospace industry as well as the increasing production and popularity of Sci-Fi films and television shows.

Walker knew the West, long since discovered, long since conquered and modernized could never compete with the allure of Outer Space. A keen observer, Walker noticed several key similarities between traditional cowboys and modern astronauts. They shared a fearless obsession with uncharted, uninhabitable territory and loved snap-buttons on their clothing. In a morally dubious, but ultimately insufficient bout of capitalistic strategy, Walker lobbied hard and ultimately unionized Western Wear manufacturers as well as snap button press operators from Texas to Southern California giving Western Wear designers across the world exclusive rights to the use of the suddenly patented snap-button. This was a devastating blow to the scientists and technicians attempting to send Americans into space, because the snap-button proved to be instrumental to both the developing space suits and space craft.

Some reports reference a secret phone call to Walker from President John F. Kennedy urging him to sever the exclusive relationship he had formulated from his unionizations. Others close to Walker insist Walker had a change of heart independent of any rumored political outreach. Those sources say Walker changed his tune after learning about the worldwide popularity and admiration of Laika, the Russian dog sent into space. “It should have been an American dog” Walker allegedly said. He was a ruthless business man and talented designer, but he was also an American. He disbanded his unions and allowed NASA free access to the snap-button technology.

Walker lost a fortune, but the United States’ legacy in the history of space exploration was cemented.

He vanished from the public eye in 1971, and his body was found in a trailer outside of Fort Meyers, Florida in 1987. His death was apparently caused by complications from his lifelong battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This painting represents the sacrifice Walker ultimately made: a cowboy, outfitted with a snap-button western shirt gleefully announces the arrival of the rocket ship.