The moon is magical; it always has been, or at the very least, enigmatic, but beyond that, it lights up the dark night, just as many small things can illuminate the shadows of life.
In life there are situations that are not easy; I know many people, many of whom are not well, for various reasons, but there can always be a moon, however small, that illuminates that darkness, whether external or internal. There may even come a time in life when, whilst not believing in anything magical, one begins to suspect that chance does not exist in a particular event. And if it happens in that instance, perhaps it happens in another too. So magic doesn’t exist, but there are things that resemble it.
The moon has always been a subject or muse for artists, whether painters, poets or writers. The moon leads us to ask ourselves many questions. One I’ve been asking myself lately is whether it’s really there or whether it’s a reflection of something else. Crazy things I sometimes imagine. We always see one side of the moon illuminated, but… what about the other side of the moon… I wonder what it’s like.
At night, whilst strolling through parks, the moon can be very inspiring and romantic too; I think that’s why I like it so much. It casts a special, natural light which, if it weren’t for all those city lights, would be even more beautiful. What’s natural is always more beautiful.
Thinking about parks and night-time walks, and the kindness the moon bestows upon us with its special light, something we often fail to notice, I decided to paint these two ‘kindness’ rocks, so that everything looks much more beautiful in the moonlight.
The last time I painted rocks, @mipiano asked me something I didn’t realise was a thing: making hand-painted rocks like the ones I make to sell. What do you think? How about a video of me painting rocks? Videos with the sounds made whilst painting, without background music? I think the moon has been very inspiring; ideas are always popping into my head.
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This time I didn’t need to sketch; I just drew a circle where the moon would be on each of the stones. Then I painted the background in dark grey and black, using the grey when painting near the moon. Next, I painted the moon in pure titanium white, which defined the light and the dark. I did that on both stones.
Then, on one of them, I painted or applied the shadows within the moon using grey and ochre, as if they were different patches, which I then blended. Using white and ochre, I painted a sort of glow emanating downwards from the moon, illuminating a large, dynamic reflection; on top of this, I painted the tree trunk and branches in pure black. Then, using red and white, I applied small brushstrokes, like tiny dots, onto the branches to create leaves or flowers, depending on personal preference.
In this way, the moon creates that reflection, which could also be water and the beautiful tree.
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On the second rock, I did the same with the moon, adding shadows with grey and a little carmine, which, when mixed with the white of the moon, produces a very beautiful pink colour. Then, using a little white, I painted some clouds in the black área, very soft and faint clouds.
Above the area with the clouds and the moon, I painted the tree’s branches in pure black and its flowers in white and carmine, to resemble a Japanese cherry tree, which I love.
I hope the moonlight bestows its gentle radiance upon you through these rocks that I have painted especially. Thank you very much to everyone for being here with me today; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon. Amonet.
All photographs are my own.
