Since returning from our week-long holiday by the coast in Aldeburgh (it was brilliant, by the way, and just what we needed - I was hoping to update from the cottage but it proved a little difficult, as I mentioned here on the other blog), I've started a new series of Moon paintings. These have been on my mind and in my sketchbook for a while, but I needed to set aside the time to work on them, and before I actually made a start, I needed to figure out how I wanted them to look.
It seems like such a simple subject and in many ways it is, but I wanted to find the right balance between detail and minimalism for the paintings - they needed to be striking, evocative, and simple, without being boring. To me - and I'm sure many others - the sight of the full moon hanging in an inky black sky dotted with little points of light, is beautiful and intriguing. Maybe the stark simplicity enhances the beauty? Anyway, I never tire of looking at it, and I love painting it. I have plans for this series; I've started small, but I've already begun measuring and cutting larger sheets of paper in preparation for huge moons, and I think they'd work well on canvas as well as paper. It has also come to my attention just how much young children are obsessed with the moon, so maybe I can develop something with this in mind...? For now, here are the first two from the series:
Moon 1
Original painting in gouache and acrylic ink on paper. 6x6"
© Natasha Newton 2013
Available here. [Update: SOLD]
Moon 2
Original painting in gouache and acrylic ink on paper. 7x5"
© Natasha Newton 2013
Available here. [Update: SOLD]