New Work: Moonrise, oil on canvas, 40 x 40 in.

Oil on canvas, 40 X 40 inches

In the studio, $6650 framed

To purchase

About this oil:

Sometimes a painting reaches a standstill. This one did, and rather than let it sit unfinished, I decided to take a chance and paint over it, a risky move but one that can lead to surprising results.

The inspiration came from a colleague’s evening scene featuring a luminous moon. That image stayed with me and led me to imagine my own version, a moonscape with a descending line of trees and a pale moon lifting out of the treeline. That vision felt right for a new start.

Night scenes typically consist of a singular hue and a few colors that follow that theme, but in this piece, I wanted the palette to expand more. After completely overpainting the previous work, I quickly realized this is one of those artworks where the best advice if to let the painting tell you what it wants.

I followed along, looking for opportunities to use unexpected colors and create more interest. Warm tones were threaded into the cooler palette and it gave the scene a subtle glow, as if the last light of day still lingers.

Moonrise is the outcome of that conversation, a reminder to me that sometimes the best work comes from letting go of what didn’t work and trusting a new start to lead the way.