Blue Moon over the Orchard, ©John O’Grady
8″ x 8″ X 0.75″ oil on canvas, ready to hang.
SOLD
When driving out of Vaison-La-Romaine, you soon come to the countryside. It’s perfect to take a small side road and get off the beaten path.
A few years ago, one warm, cloud-less summer night, I drove out, picked a side road and soon stopped. It was pitch black. I sat in the middle of an orchard to watch the rising moon. Little by little, as I got used to darkness, more and more stars twinkled in front of my eyes.
A wondrous night sky was appearing before me.
This painting is a memory of that magical moment.
I was going to call this jewel-like piece ‘Arrangement in Manganese blue’ after the colour that runs throughout.
The night sky combines Manganese blue with violet, the earth has manganese blue mixed with a cool lemon yellow, the trees have manganese blue with burnt umber.
This one colour helps unify the painting to create harmony.
The simplified forms and horizontal bands of colour support the feeling of balance.
Do you feel the harmony of this piece?
The depth of that blue could go on forever. This seems to me to be a portrait of utter peace and bliss, the mystery within and without.
How marvelous that you witnessed this in the world, and how wonderful for us that your inner tranquility and sense of wonder is reflected in your rendering of it.
Hello Jo,
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I really enjoyed making the night sky and varying the colour and tones to achieve that depth that you mention. On that night as the dark really set in, there were plenty of shooting stars.
Absolutely magical, John!
This may be my new favourite!
Thank you for sharing your gift.
‘Hello Gloria,
Thank you for your comment, that’s great to hear that it connected with you and its ‘your new favourite’, you are very welcome’.
Superb, John…boy, did THAT sell quickly!!! I just received the listing and BAM, it was gone. It is wonderful…I love the richness of that rather luscious sky that o’ershadows the landscape below. Well done!!!
Hello Terry,
Yes the sky worked out quite well with a velvety quality I think and yes it went very quickly, thank you.
Hello John, the night sky is a wonder to behold and we can feel a sense of awe at its beauty but it can also encourage reflection on our place in the world. In this lovely painting I think there an enveloping and calm serenity brought about by the balance and harmonious colour.
Hello Christine,
Thank you very much for your comment. I agree it does ‘encourage reflection on our place in the world’ and just how small we are in that vastness. Glad you like the painting
This is just wonderful. I have just published a novel in which the night sky features strongly… lots of twinkling stars, full moons, the Milky Way and meteor showers. Only my skies are over the Cornish sea, but this speaks volumes – perhaps I should ask you to interpret a scene from my book!!! 🙂
Hello Su,
That’s great that the painting touched you so. Congratulations on publishing your novel, that must be very exciting. I do wish you all the best with it and lots of success.
It is magical John – I love your memory of that night and your use of colour. It’s the stars that speak to me especially. Where I live, close to Washington D.C. – though you’d never know it – we have no street lights in our neighbourhood so on clear nights the stars shine so bright. Thank you for keeping me on your mailing list – I don’t usually comment on blogs but loved this painting and had to.
Hello Alice,
Thank you for commenting I am glad the painting connected with you so. I agree with you once we get away from the lights the night sky ‘the stars shine so bright’ it is like looking at another dimension I think Alice
Agter having been literaly “abducted” by the intense and/or moon-pale light blues, my eyes dive deeply to another dimension which was an extraordinary attraction of movements… See how slightly but constantly the trees grow to the moon while the moon spreads its fairy and dusty light on treetops. And above stars emphatize and magnify the feeling born from this blue movement.
So great, John ! Congrats !
‘Hello Dominique,
What a beautiful and poetic reading of the painting, thank you very much. I love the phrase ‘fairy and dusty lights’ it makes me dream of other worlds.
This is stunning John – those shades of blue, I could just get lost in it
Thanks very much Jan