These two paintings were based on sketches and from a memory of a time the moon was full. Driving back to Melbourne from Ballarat at night can be a magical experience. There is a road trailing down the Pentland Hills and around one of the bends the city lights suddenly appear like a string of glistening jewels laid across the horizon. On one particular occasion the moon sat in the sky with the clouds hanging above it, just like in the painting. The clouds were much whiter that night, but I made them darker because I felt it showed the glow of the moon better. I was also intrigued by the way the light of nature hovered over the light created by human beings, and yet, it's the same light.
The lower painting was turned into a vertical version of a squarer oil sketch. The sketch appears in a previous blog post titled Sketching the Moon (the top image).
These larger works are done by painting the moon and sky first, allowing the surfaces to dry and then adding the clouds later. They are painted with primary colours and white but without the addition of black.
City Lights and the Moon, 2016, oil on canvas, 76.5 x 92 cm
Full Moon, 2016, oil on canvas, 91.5 x 61 cm
