Moon Paintings

For this post I'm including a few paintings inspired by the moon. I began painting this theme during lockdown. At the time I didn't realise why the moon had become so important to me, it seemed to be on my mind because I was walking late at night. Then I reflected on the theme and I felt that the moon is suggestive of eternity and the continuance of normality during the difficult time of Covid-19. It became a symbol of optimism and the change back to normality. The above painting is called 'Moon Lake,' and it is acrylic on canvas, 29 by 43 cm. As I painted, there appeared a dark lake and suggestions of water and a moon above. This painting went through quite a few changes. I left it for a month but it called for more work and I finished it with thicker paint, feeling my way through emerging shapes and colours. When a painting calls for more work I usually pay attention. I've destroyed a few paintings by pushing too far but with this one I was glad I searched further.

The above painting is called 'Rings Around the Moon,' (acrylic on canvas, 25 x 20 cm). It evolved completely from laying down paint and allowing a scene to emerge.

'Moonscape,' (acrylic on canvas, 29 x 43 cm) also evolved from the paint and laying down stains and marks. It went through quite a few changes and gradually suggested to me a rising moon over an autumnal landscape.

This final painting is not so much about the moon but suggests that last warm light of dusk just before the moon appears. Though I was going to work further, I decided I liked the simplicity of the image and its suggestiveness. 'Dusk,' acrylic on canvas, 20 x 25 cm.

New Work, Tweaking Work, Abstract versus Figurative

'Untitled,' acrylic on canvas, 120 x 160 cm

These new paintings are from this week. The first is a canvas I'm painting for a potential exhibition submission and there is a deadline of mid November so as soon as I stop writing I'm getting back to work on this! It is large, 120 x 160 cm, and I'm inventing the elements as I paint, with one thing leading to another. 

Figurative painting makes you look at edges and transitions of colour in a different way to abstraction and it is challenging (something I welcome), and impacts on my abstract landscapes in a positive way. If I had to define what the main difference is, I would say that working with figuration helps to make the 'drawing' elements in the abstracts more definite and focused. I don't define drawing necessarily as putting a line around a shape and filling in with colour; drawing, for me, is the way edges meet and relate to space, shapes, and this includes the transitions of colour and mark making.

'Moon Web,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 40 x 40 cm

'Moon Web' is a painting which also seemed to evolve by itself. I became interested in the moon as a painting subject recently because I love night imagery and often watch the moon and moonlit sky at night. I also liked the idea of webs being a creative factor and they relate to how I see myself as an artist: spinning webs all the time and trapping ideas. 

'Arriving Home,' oil on board, 60 x 45 cm

This is a work in progress from a few years ago. I often go back to older paintings and tweak them and in this one I just want to soften the 'white tree trunk' on the left and sort out a small area in the middle front. Often I find that time needs to pass in order to 'see' what is relevant in a painting and what needs to be tweaked or changed. Some paintings shout out that they are finished, many need that extra time to consider them - though not always years.

'B Went Missing in the Land,' acrylic and ink on canvas, 50 x 70 cm

As well as these works there's a canvas that I started yesterday which is driving me mad! The colours are in reality much brighter (iPad photos tend not to be too accurate). Hubby says 'leave it alone' but when I am frustrated by a painting it generally means that I need to do more work on it. Sometimes the extra pushing at a painting really improves it, sometimes the whole painting gets lost, but it always improves your general practice to push for more. The thing is to never be afraid to want more.