Seven years ago, on the 9 December 2012, I completed my encaustic painting ‘Big Bang’. This was the first of the ‘In The Beginning ‘, a series of paintings exploring aspects of the universe inspired by discoveries and concepts in astrophysics. It was a day of mixed emotions, the joy of finishing a new piece, tempered by the news on that same day of Sir Patrick Moore’s death. Inspiration comes from many sources, Sir Patrick is, and remains, one of those enduring inspirations.