Graeme Stevenson’s birthday is 29th June. It’s a befitting date to write this. We lost this great man three weeks and three days shy of his 64th trip around the sun. Graeme Stevenson OAM leaves behind an invincible legacy. As the founder and CEO of Colour In Your Life, not only did Graeme create this 22-season-strong television series bringing artists and their stories to life, but his life’s work will live on forever in ‘the Museum on the Moon’. All 285 full-length episodes of Colour In Your Life, be archived on the moon in a SpaceX, NASA and Lunar Codex mission launching in 2023.
The Lunar Codex is a message-in-a-bottle to the future. Dr Samuel Peralta, physicist, entrepreneur, author, art collector and curator of the Lunar Codex enterprise, explains the Polaris Collection data that includes Colour In Your Life will be preserved exclusively on nickel-shielded memory cards sealed in time capsules. “Our hope is those future travellers who find these time capsules will discover some of the richness of our world today,” Dr Peralta said. “The Lunar Codex speaks to the idea that, despite wars and pandemics and climate upheaval, humankind found time to dream, time to create art.” Read more about The Lunar Codex here.
Graeme’s thirst for knowledge and adventure drove him to excel all his life, but even he never dreamed his art would be headed to the Lunar South Pole on the moon. In this interview between Graeme and Dr Peralta you’ll hear how this extraordinary bridge between technology and creative arts unfolded and how the Astrobotic Griffin and NASA VIPER mission works.
Colour in Your Life is the first TV series to be archived on the moon. All the artists who have been filmed over the past 12 years in seven countries will be represented, including Ken Done, Joseph Zbukvic, and of course, my Season 4, Episode 7. I am interviewed by Graeme as I paint live on camera and share about my paintings. We talk, we laugh, we share tips and techniques, and our favourite paints and brushes. Graeme brought out the best of me that day and the joy of painting that we shared was obvious. Graeme’s lion-hearted passionate personality shines through, his devotion to the arts unmistakable.
Graeme was always an intensely creative curious individual who loved to observe and listen. His interest in you was genuine and he made you ‘a friend for life’. Graeme’s vision for Colour In Your Life was to build a library of the minds of artists, preserving a digital record of creative spirit, culture, and techniques for future generations. He held a firm belief that “art is the greatest social commentary in the world – it’s an encounter, a confrontation, a challenge – it’s about saying who we are, when we are, and why we are”. He was a visionary and ahead of his time! Graeme’s hope was that humanity would understand we are not separate or superior to life on the planet, and with this understanding, we allow ourselves to become immersed in nature. This concept has entered academia and our wider culture as the era of Anthropocene and “more-than-human” conventions trying to express the dominating presence that human activity has on the functioning of the natural world, especially as we look for climate crisis solutions. Graeme’s own artworks reflect his larger-than-life thinking about the bigger picture on planet earth. Watch a documentary on his life here.
Graeme was a groundbreaking pioneer in many aspects of the art world. Knowing his illness had dismal prospects, Graeme raised a powerful and passionate team of women to continue the work of Colour In Your Life. A huge thank you and ‘shout out’ to Natascha Wernick, Sophia Stacey, Jo Frederiks, and Frankie Sharman. Read more about their phenomenal expansion here, as the show now broadcasts in over 50 countries and new shows are being recorded in Australia, NZ, USA, and UK.
We are determined to continue Graeme’s vision! Before Graeme left this earth, he planned an exhibition with a Gold Coast contingent of Colour In Your Life artists, opening on the moonwalk anniversary, 21st July 2022. “Fly Me to the Moon ~ Let me Paint among the Stars” celebrates Graeme’s life achievement and the Lunar Codex’s future trip among the stars. The exhibition, featuring work by Graeme Stevenson, Wendy Manzo, Lynn Jaanz, Louise Corke, and Leisa O’Brien, runs from 21st July – 18th August 2022 at the Creative Hearts Art gallery, Australia Fair, 1008/42 Marine Parade Southport Queensland.
