The Moon and Her Hair

© Moonbeam 2008

I thought I was about due to post about painting since that is my most all-consuming passion. This painting came at a tumultuous time in my life, so the style is a bit wild. My painting teacher saw it and said he thought it was joyful. One thing is certain - I was determined to use vibrant color. I had been looking at a lot of Kandinsky's work, as well as Miro's when I began painting, so their influence is somewhat obvious. The thought process began when I was in the shower enjoying the patterns created by my hair on the wall. I tend to look for skeletal supporting patterns to use in my paintings; something to hold the piece together and allow me to play with texture and color. Usually that takes the form of trees, which I love to use for their connotations of silence, stillness, growth, and the plethora of visual possibilities. What other subject is so linear, calligraphic and basic? They can be shown as thin, lyrical branches, or heavily crusted trunks with gnarly roots. This subject is my favorite, and was present in most of my paintings during my senior year in school. However, I wanted to try something different, and on a smaller scale (this painting is about 1 1/2' x 2'). The hair on the shower wall looked ghostly and playful, and presented a challenge in capturing the precise curves and lines on a canvas. One thing I love about the surrealist and abstract art of the 1930's is a preoccupation with randomness and chance. The fact that the hair on the shower wall took it's form by chance was very appealing to me. I took several pictures of the wall, then played with it on the computer until I had a clear black and white pattern.

© Moonbeam 2008

Then I proceeded with texture, my great love in painting. This time I used shredded paper...all in all not my favorite process or result, but I like trying new things to achieve a 3D element.

© Moonbeam 2008

Another element I love to use is floral pattern. I almost wish I had left the painting like the picture below. It's so simple and clean. I was a bit lost during the process though, so I kept going, hoping to feel found again.

© Moonbeam 2008

While I am glad I learned some important things throughout, this was not my favorite process. It was quite stressful trying to resolve this very new texture (usually I use some sort of fabric), the intensity of the colors, and the strange looseness of the line pattern. I love that it appears light and playful and there are certain areas which are very satisfying, but all in all I was left feeling somewhat unfulfilled. I consider it a valuable exploration.

© Moonbeam 2008

So I named this "The Moon and Her Hair." I chose this after a great deal of thought, and decided it would be best to communicate the unearthly nature of the image, and include a hint of where the line pattern came from - this Moonbeam's hair.