Lunar Gaze

This painting has been in the works for quite awhile and I am happy to have finally completed it. It is a collaboration of sorts between Sebastian Olejnik and myself. We took the reference photo I used for this painting two summers ago at the cabin when I was doing my morning yoga on the deck. This past summer I finally got around to sketching it out in my sketchbook. The heron and the moon were Sebastian's ideas as was the title of the piece. 
The original is 11" by 14" mixed media (acrylic ink, glass beads, gloss varnish, pearl paint) on watercolour board mounted on a painted (black) cradled wood panel. 
 










I struggled with the moon. I wanted it to glow and reflect the way the real moon does. After painting it in ink I applied a gloss varnish that has tiny glass beads in it. It adds a very interesting texture as well as a little sparkle.

I then applied a mixed media paint appropriately named Fantasy Moon - Pearl over top of the beads to give it a luminous finish. I made a test moon to make sure that all my paints would work together the way I wanted them to because I was pretty terrified that I would screw up the moon and have to start the whole thing over! Luckily things worked out and I think it is reasonably effective. 


You can find this painting in my Etsy shop along with the rest of my completed art!