A Brush with the Moon

I do enjoy painting as a hobby, and having recently got myself some new glasses, i've picked up the brushes once more, as previously its been hard to work as my eyesight had deteriorated in the last few years. I've always loved art and have great fun in art departments looking at all the different media available and the possible applications for them. At xmas, I picked up some texture gel, which is basically an acrylic paste with tiny beads in it to add a grainy finish. Having dabbled about a bit with it, to see how it worked, I then had an idea for a picture that might exploit the heavy grainy texture in the paint.

One of my favourite books is Full Moon by Michael Light, a coffee table edition showing the apollo mission photos in all their remastered glory. There are some awesome shots of Luna and one particular view of the moon as the astronauts made their way home, is especially beautiful.

So, I set to with knife and acrylics and had great fun creating my own impression of the iconic photo. The great thing about the gel is that it gives a wonderful 3d impasto effect, that leaves actual ridges and furrows in the paint, that catch the light and shadow, adding to the effect of a rough lunar surface.