Cosmic Dance II

You may remember my recent painting, Cosmic Dance:

This is Cosmic Dance II.

As you can see, the sun, the moon and the swirls of color are all in the same positions in the sky, but the color scheme is quite different–in place of reds and oranges are soft purples and peach tones.  Overall, I think the resulting effect is quite feminine.

The bands of color in the sky were painted with detail and precision.  I think it’s interesting to paint light–one of the most intangible substances I can think of, in such a solid way.

As I painted these wispy ribbons of light reaching their way across the sky, some of them told me where they wanted to go.  Some of them began to twist, curl, and reach in delightfully unexpected ways.

In the inky blue-black parts of the sky untouched by the dance of the sun and the moon, you can see a thick sprinkling of stars.  (Which I literally splattered onto the canvas!)

This painting includes the constellation Pisces, which I intended to stand out prominently from the rest of the stars.  I like how the wisps of color to its right resemble two delicate little hands, showcasing the constellation Vanna White-style, or perhaps cradling it in a motherly manner.

Unlike the rest of the paintings I’ve made recently, this one is a seascape.  The colors of the sky are reflected off the gentle waves of the ocean.

The closer you get to the painting, the more you can see how the individual brush strokes come together to create the larger image.  I wish I could convey how much better a painting is in person than in photographs.

This is how it looks on a wall:

I’ve made a video of the painting process for this one, at the request of the collector who commissioned it. If you’re interested in these videos, then this is for you–but it’s not for everyone. I think it’s cool to watch it all come together in super-fast motion, when in reality it took many hours of work–but then, I’m a painter. So, please watch according to your level of interest: