And then came the scenics, a breed of artist unlike the plasterers or the sculptors before them. Quiet like the brushes they employ, subdued like the hints of red, butterscotch, and gray applied, Juan, Danni, and Christina also see the world in three dimensions—not as massive blocks of carved foam or layers of sprayed concrete, but in concentric applications of paint that build depth in color through time.
Referring to the same set of laminated photos as the two prior teams, the scenics apply dark hues beneath overhangs to create permanent shadow, and they create a sense of time through the hi-lights on the leading edges of rock ledges, mineral stains from long forgotten (even if geologically recent) movements of water. And when Danica or Kai would note a synthetic rock surface too bright or too bold for the atmosphere of Mars, within minutes color theory became color reality and the issue was resolved without hesitation or complaint for the second or third effort on that same section of the SAM Mars yard.
