NOCTURNE
48 X 48 inches, Lascaux acrylic, phosphorescent pigment on 40 oz Belgian Linen mounted on panel
In late June our garden is in its glory.  This painting captures the exuberant foliage and drifts of flowers that peak with the summer equinox.  The garden is submerged in the blue light of dusk and the humidity of the river valley. Huge clumps of the nocturnal hemerocallis citrina from China open their lemony- gardenia scented blooms in the evening air, and salmon tiger lilies float in the foreground.   Everywhere, the air is spangled with the chartreuse illuminations of lightning bugs .

As I was finishing this painting, I had one of the most primal painting experiences of my life.  To get the phosphorescent pigment in the right places, I had to work in total darkness, so I put the painting in a darkened room and turned the lights on and off to align the glow in the dark pigment with the lightning bug images.  To create the luminous clouds of fireflies I dipped my hands in the phosphorescent paint and massaged the pigment into the coarse linen.  As I was sculpting the air with swirls of light I had a flashback to childhood -- lightning bug face paint!

  When viewed in total darkness, this painting looks like a representation of outer space.  In half light the garden scene is still visible and the fireflies glow with eerie naturalism.
 

Detail

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