30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twenty-Four

"Moon River and Me" - acrylic on cradled board, 12" x 12"

Day 24!  A crisp, chilly Sunday morning in south Florida.  The perfect day for painting and daydreaming.  This piece was inspired by last night's brilliant full moon illuminating the lake behind our house.  I found myself a bit moonstruck, gazing at the glowing orb in the sky, fantastically bright on a cloudless evening.  If I had a boat, I decided, I would have been out on the water to bathe in the moonlight.  Alas, no boats here (yet - a kayak is under consideration) so my moon bathing took place on the grassy banks instead.

This piece met my goal of 90% without brushes.  This one is more primitive, with a moody background created by layering quinacridone nickel azo gold on top of varying shades of purple, scraped with credit cards and smudged with paper towels, markings carved in with a stick.

So the title of this piece is based upon a song written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer for Audrey Hepburn as "Holly Golightly" (how I love that name!) in Breakfast at Tiffany's.  There is one line in the song, the last line - my huckleberry friend, moon river, and me which captured perfectly my feelings about this girl in her boat.  The lyricist had a childhood friend with whom he spent summers picking huckleberries, and this memory and the lyric became his symbol of a carefree boyhood.

My childhood was far from carefree.  But there were moments which did (and still do) feel carefree within that childhood.  We didn't pick huckleberries, but did pick (and eat) gooseberries in Minnesota and blackberries in Ohio.  We held funerals in rural Minnesota for the gophers hunted and killed by the neighborhood boys (a bit morbid, but we had a flag, a song we hummed, downcast eyes and a shuffling gait which had to be the most dramatic and humorous funeral march ever).  We tried to outrun walls of rain in Alabama when the storms came through - racing across the parking lot right in front of the rain as fast as we could. 

What is truly fantastic about my life is the childhood I am experiencing now as an artist.  A sense of wonder, curiosity and play surrounds me.  Shapes, colors, textures and the certainty that anything is possible fill my thoughts with creative exploration and imagination.  I am on the moon river every day, ever grateful for a second chance at wonderment and magic.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THIS ITEM ON ETSY

​Today's Adoption Event:

"Oh, Bother" - pen and ink on paper,   14" x 12"  (framed)

This piece is the companion to "Silent Harold", faces inspired by ancient totem poles from the Pacific Northwest.  I felt a Winnie-The-Pooh-like attitude coming off this face (thus the title) and couldn't resist putting it to paint and ink.

Perfect for days when you just want to roll your eyes and sigh.  Let this totem be your repository for annoyance and frustration, so you can go on with your day stress-free!

Adoption fee $25 (shipping included).  Contact Jen at mailto:imajenation@gmail.com to make adoption arrangements.