I wasn’t as affected by Bowie’s music as much as some, but his love of sci-fi was one of the things that drew me towards it. Space Oddity has always been a favorite. More than his music I was touched by how his passing mirrored my own dad’s death from cancer last year.

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Lazarus: The Blind Prophet After watching Bowie's' last video "Lazarus" this image just kept screaming to get out of my head, and it was cathartic as fuck to pour it out into the world. It seems everyone is grieving together right now, and as selfish as it sounds it's nice to not feel alone in that after grieving my own dad's death from cancer for the past year. Bowie's illness mirrored his in a few ways. Both of them were diagnosed terminal in August 2014, and both opted for passive treatment so they could enjoy the short time they had left. "This way or no way, you know I'll be free. Just like that bluebird, now ain't that just like me?"

A post shared by Matthew Warlick (@warlick) on Jan 13, 2016 at 6:53am PST

It really hit me when I did the math and realized that Bowie would have been diagnosed in August of 2014, the same month my father was. He died almost exactly one year later.  I’m still processing his final album Blackstar in light of the circumstances surrounding it’s creation. I’m mostly impressed by his composure, secrecy and focus knowing he had a terminal illness and limited time remaining.

This piece and it’s original art will be featured in in the show STARMAN: For the Love of Bowie, sponsored by ArtLoveMagic.