Rob Rey

A Glimpse of the Mysterious
9 x 12 inches, Oil, 2019

”The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot pe*****te, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of reality, as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the reason that manifests itself in nature."
-Albert Einstein, The World As I See It

Prints available through my website.

Cosmic Awareness
30 x 24 inches, Oil on Panel, 2022
An allegorical figure representing humanity waking up to the vastness of the universe in which we live.

“We are a way for the cosmos to know itself”
-Carl Sagan

We are part of the universe, made of trillions of atomic bits of star dust that, through a process of 13.8 billion years of cosmic evolution, have become conscious and able to understand the universe.

Furthermore, our bodies are not made of the same particles from week to week as we meld with our environment. Our atoms pass through us as cells are replaced, sustenance is taken in, and waste released. We have been the sea, we have been the wind and the trees, and for a moment, the universe getting a chance to open its eyes and experience the wonder of itself.

Dust of Life, Oil, 24 x 18 inches
Understanding who we are in the universe involves understanding where we come from. How did life begin? As we investigate, we find that the building blocks from which life likely formed, organic (carbon containing) molecules and amino acids, are everywhere in space. In swirling clouds of gas and dust that we analyze spectroscopically, and on the comets and asteroids that our spacecraft have visited. From simple hydrogen and helium created in the Big Bang, the stars have fused the elements and bonded them into the complex molecules necessary for biology over billions of years. The cosmos seems to be primed for life.

This painting and its preliminary study are part of the third annual Character in Context show. The largest exhibition of original illustration in the Western U.S. opening this Friday, June 5th at the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art in Trinidad, Colorado.

A new tiny painting coming to Every Day Original tomorrow morning, 5/20.

Simple Beginnings
6 x 8 inches, Oil

"There is grandeur in this view of life... from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."
- Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species

Trilobites were among the most successful of all early animals, existing in oceans for almost 270 million years. Though the process of evolution, life has flourished into the millions of amazing species we see around us on earth today, including ourselves. Evolution tells us about our history and that informs our understanding of who we are. Having originated in a common single-celled ancestor, from bacteria to trees, reptiles to mammals, all life on earth is one very old and very large family.

Detail of a new tiny painting coming to Every Day Original this Wednesday, 5/20!

Excited to be a featured artist at Gen Con this year!

Introducing the Gen Con 2026 Featured Artists – The Official Gen Con Blog The annual Gen Con Art Show honors the creativity, craftsmanship, and imagination that bring our favorite worlds to life through stunning visuals. From far-reaching fantasy realms to striking sci-fi dreamscapes and beyond—the Gen Con Art Show is a sanctuary for visual revelations, where every comp...

Return to the Stars
8 x 6 inches
A new tiny painting available this Friday on Every Day Original

Some of your atoms, mostly hydrogen, come from the beginning of the universe. Many more were created in the super novae of ancient dying stars. In the time since then, your atoms have been part of many things: oceans and oaks, dinosaurs and dandelions, foxes and fireflies. For a brief moment, these disparate, voyaging elements have come together to be you, to feel the breeze, and to wonder at the night sky. One day they will move on, scattered and woven into many more incarnations before eventually returning to space in nebulous clouds to birth new stars.

Detail of a new tiny painting coming to Every Day Original this Friday, 2/20.

Observation
24 x 20 in, 2014

Science is more than a body of knowledge, it’s a way of thinking.

Early philosophers used to believe we could understand the world simply by thinking about it, that what made sense to us must be true. But, Observation showed us that the universe often does not conform to our expectations or desires. It doesn’t matter how much we wish something to be true, how beautiful a theory is, or who came up with it. To find out what is true we have to look and pay attention to how the universe really works.

The methods of science have pulled humanity out of dangerous superstitions and entrenched ignorance. They have allowed us to find real solutions to stubborn problems from hunger and disease to communication. In the scientific method, Observation leads the way. We may not always like what we see, particularly if it runs against our cherished beliefs, but if we accept it with humility, we will find ourselves better able to confront the problems we face.

Magnetosphere, an allegory
30 x 24 in, Oil on panel, 2021, homage to Fumée D'Ambre Gris by John Singer Sargent.

In addition to the warmth and light we receive daily, our sun expels a constant barrage of dangerous charged particles called the solar wind. When solar storms occur, flares and coronal mass ejections can be thrown our way at speeds of millions of kilometers per hour. Luckily, movements within earths molten metal core generate a protective magnetic shield around our home planet. Without our magnetosphere to protect us, the solar wind may have long ago stripped away our atmosphere, leaving Earth looking much more like Mars looks today: barren, dry, and lifeless.

Human wellbeing has been shown to benefit greatly from the experience and practice of gratitude, whether that gratitude is directed toward someone else or not. Most of us don’t spend much time thinking about our magnetosphere, but it’s one of the many extraordinary things that make life possible on our little world. This can serve as a reminder to take notice of other things we may be taking for granted in our lives.

Prints: https://robrey.storenvy.com