Inspired by the Moon: A Series of Summer Paintings part 1

''Rainfall Moon,' acrylic on canvas, 92 x 73 cm, 2020

As summer races by, I've felt incredibly inspired by several different experiences, alternating between abstraction and abstract figurative themes as paint suggested new approaches. One of the reasons I haven't posted for quite a while has been the intensity of my excitement and the momentum of working almost daily. 

The moon has often appeared as a theme over the years. As I love to walk at night, in the UK, Cyprus and other countries such as China, I have always found night to be full of mystery and open to boundless imagination. In Cyprus I often watched the moon as it rose luminous and green on the horizon and turned to pink, orange and finally yellow. Sometimes I've been surprised by a sudden view of the large Harvest moon behind some trees and I wanted to try to convey some of the magic I've felt. There's also something unseen, and a sense of the beyond, in particular beyond this planet, that the moon brings to mind for me. At a time of coronavirus and many global problems, watching the moon reminds me of the vastness of the universe and makes me question the meanings of our existence.

Light and the time of day often feature in my work and the moon theme gives me the chance to play with ideas about colour, calligraphic brush strokes and shapes. Some of the paintings focused on the developing interest in the process of making imagery and different ways to apply paint. Sometimes paint parallels light and the work veers towards abstraction.

The first painting is about the summer rain, of which we had little in the UK. I was thinking about the last warm colours as dusk fades to night and the rain streaming down, obscuring a landscape. It was painted with thin layers and was unplanned, the way I always work.

'Rainfall Moon,' (2) acrylic on canvas, 92 x 73 cm, 2020

This second painting is still in progress. I'm brightening the moon and tweaking a few other areas. I love this size of canvas, (and larger), and this painting is also quite layered with translucent and opaque paint. I layer paint until an image emerges and I feel transported to a new place. 

Here are a few more moon paintings, some more figurative based and some abstract.

'Moon, Mountains and Forest,' acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20 cm 2020

'Moonlit Terrain,' acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20 cm, 2020

'Lavender Moon,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 50 x 60 cm, 2019

'Moon Over Brighton,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 23 cm, 2018

And two of the more abstract paintings in which I was thinking of the emotional experience and loving thick paint.

'Moonlit Landscape,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 23 cm, 2019

'Scents of the Moon,' acrylic on canvas, 30 x 23 cm, 2020

This last one is about the delightful fragrance of summer which I often associate also with walking along the coast at night or through landscape. It's a fragrance that's quite hard to define but is slightly perfumed, sweet, and uplifting.

I will post more of my moon paintings this week and also some of the new landscape/abstracts I'm working on.

If you would like to see more of my new work, my website is:

https://www.fionastanbury.com/gallery_759043.html