NASA and my gouache space painting technique and a $1000 bonus…

I recall an interesting story about NASA a few years after I started my company (REZcorp).

I had been trying to secure NASA as our client for a long time. However, breaking into the well-connected 'boys club' was difficult for a young company. So, I assigned one of my sharpest company representatives, 'Billy,' to NASA. I instructed him to visit every Monday at 10 a.m. sharp to say hello, even if he wasn't greeted with a smile. This routine continued for months, and each time, Billy returned with a long face. However, they accepted him over time and became accustomed to his presence. This was the main goal of my strategy - to establish our presence and determination to gain their trust.

One Monday, Billy returned with a big smile and a large envelope under his arm.

He informed me that the director of the graphic department at NASA had summoned him to his office, where a few of his assistants were anxiously waiting.

‘We have a significant problem, and if Rez can help us fix it, we'll prioritize his company and even give him a $1000 bonus on top of the cost!' The department head told Billy.

'No problem, Rez can fix anything!' Billy replied.*

I said, 'Let me see what mountains I must climb to get their business.' Once I saw the painting, I remarked, 'Billy, I think this is the kiss of death.' They know that gouache paintings are not fixable, as the water will bleed and leave marks, which will show glaringly when projected onto a big screen. And I wasn't kidding. It's a fact.

I said, 'Either I'm their last hope, or they are doing this to quash any hope of us getting on their list of contractors.'

Billy came back at me with my own line, 'No problem, we can do anything.' 'That's funny,' I said, 'But it's not always possible!' He left my office with a big laugh.

An anecdote:
Long before the availability of digital art technology, space exploration was a figment of artists' imaginations. In visualizing their Space Shuttle and space exploration projects, NASA utilized the process of space painting techniques. They had a team of in-house artists and contractors for this purpose. Once the paintings were completed, they were photographed in transparent slide form and projected onto big screens.

The crux of the story:
NASA had invested hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars into a major presentation to showcase their Space Shuttle progress, with this painting at the center of it all. However, this tiny, less-than-a-millimeter-sized mistake was made in the middle of the painting and needed fixing. Without it being corrected, they had nothing to present.

I stood by what I said as I told Billy. They were attempting to extinguish our hope. This painting couldn't be fixed. Every artist knows that these types of technical gouache paintings are irreparable. Perturbed, I set it aside and tried to forget it until a few days later, when Billy inquired about its status and reminded me that it was due the next morning.

I cursed and mentioned that I had forgotten about it because it couldn't be fixed. Once again, Billy said, 'No problem, we can do anything,' laughing.

I said, 'OK, I'll take it home tonight and see what I could do.'

After a late night at the office, I arrive home before midnight. I descended to my studio, reluctantly placed the painting on my desk, and stared at it for several minutes. I rummaged through a large box filled with assorted color paint tubes, searching for a tube of white gouache paint I needed. But I couldn't locate one. I couldn't believe it. There are typically larger white and black paint gouache tubes available, as I use them more frequently. It was too late to purchase one, as the task was due in the morning."

So, I had no choice but to use white acrylic paint instead. I set everything up, grabbed my smallest, one-millimeter tip brush, dipped it in the white paint, picked up less than a head of a pin, and ever so carefully touched the spot with one stroke. It hit the exact spot. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was perfect, as if the mistake had never been there. I kept looking to see if I needed to do more, but I didn't see any reason to touch it up further. I was happy, thinking it was a stroke of good luck and the easiest $1000 bonus I've ever earned. I kept returning to it, repeatedly looking at it to reassure myself that it was fixed while telling myself not to touch it. Finally, I wrapped it up, took it upstairs, and placed it on the dining table.

The next morning, I brought it back to the office. Billy was anxiously waiting for me. He followed me to my office, placing a fresh cup of coffee and a box of donuts on my desk, perhaps to brighten up my day. I pretended that I wasn't sure if it was fixed properly. He wanted to see it, but I told him he couldn't.

'Just take it there and let them open it, and you'll get to see it at the same time. It would be best if you didn’t have a preconceived notion of it,' I insisted.

He took it, shook his head in disbelief, and left unhappily. An hour later, he called me. He was beside himself. He said they loved it and couldn't believe it looked as if the mess was never there. They even exclaimed, 'he’s a god!'

As fate would have it, not having the white gouache paint was a blessing in disguise. Acrylic paints are plastic-based and don't leave any watermarks. I'm certain that if I had the white gouache paint, it would have not only fixed the issue but also created a bigger mess and cost my company the prestigious NASA account.

Lucky for NASA and me, it turned out to be a great and happy ending.

As the word got around, it greatly elevated my company's capabilities and my artistic image. 

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*“No problem!” - was the phrase I required my representatives to say to whatever task my clients requested from us. ‘There’s nothing we can’t do!’ If there is a hole on the moon, we’ll fill it.’
‘You bring it, we’ll fix it.’