Moonrise Print

This work was inspired by two things: the pair of works by Francois Boucher, ‘The rising of the Sun’ and ‘The setting of the Sun’; and walks and sketching in Epping Forest. The Boucher paintings depict a classical subject, the beginning and end of a day in the life of the sun god Apollo. Hanging on a grand staircase at the Wallace Collection in London they tower above the viewer as they ascend the stairs. I was completely blown away by the complex composition, immersed in the sway of waves and bodies, clouds and sky. In 2018/19 I was looking at a lot of this period of art to stretch my understanding and use of colour combinations. The shapes in the Boucher paintings seem to push up from the water/ground into the sky. And this is where the idea of combining the organic shapes I’d sketched in Epping Forest, of life poking through the ground, undergrowth and surface of the ponds up into the sky, wth the flowing shapes and palette of the Bouchers, came to me. The painting is unframed but has a deep edge painted black and has wire attached ready to hang. If you wanted to add a frame I suggest a black or dark natural wood, floating mount frame. Oil paint is applied in many thin glazes over a wooden panel. The glazes of oil paint create a semi-translucent surface revealing subtle colour variations with prolonged viewing. There are also asemic, calligraphic-like marks representing the movement of insects. My main references are Bosch, Turner and contemporary artists Chu Te Chun, Zao Wou-Ki and Cruz Jimenez. I hope the viewer finds a sense of both peace and movement and can feel something of the flow of energy through the natural world.