Hello friends,
We’ve had a lot of rain in this little corner of Wales lately, but interspersed with the occasional sunny day to life the spirits, and the roadsides and gardens are filled with daffodils.
What’s on my mind
It’s Finished! The entire series of 13 moons is now completed and will shortly be heading to Haverfordwest ready for the exhibition in July/August - more detail on the exact dates and location as soon as they are finalised.
Here is the final moon in the series - The Wyrm Moon. I’ve taken quite a lot of artistic liberties with this one - not least with the name, The full moon in March is generally referred to as the Worm Moon (due to the worm castings that appear on the ground as the earth warms up at springtime). However - I didn’t want to paint a worm. And I don’t think there is a huge market out there for paintings of worms either. So I cheated slightly and used the Old English spelling Wyrm. Pronounced the same way, it can mean worm, serpent, or dragon. Well - I can’t resist a dragon!
As I was researching this painting, I was reminded of the symbol and meaning of the Ouroborous - the never ending infinite cycle of life and death. An ancient symbol of eternity found as far back as wide as ancient Egypt, but also in Greek, Hindu and Norse mythology.
I’ll let you into a secret - after collecting the art boards to paint on, this is actually the painting I started the series with - and it looked a little different in the beginning:
I quickly realised that I wouldn’t get this one finished before the full moon, and so I switched to the Pink Moon as the next one to complete. It seemed fitting then, to use this symbol at the beginning and end of my moon series.
Which one is your favourite? Do drop me a line and tell me - I’d love to know why, as everyone I ask has a different answer.
What’s on my easel
Nothing at the moment as I’m currently working on a 2025 calendar featuring all of my moons! It won’t be available until much later in the year after the exhibition, but you’ll be the first to know when it goes on sale. I’m also exploring the possibility of creating some 1 of 1 prints of the moons. These prints are by definition limited to just 1 print of each painting, and would depend on the popularity of the actual paintings and how many of them sell. Would you be interested in a calendar or print? Let me know here, or on social media - it really helps me to know when deciding on what quantities to print.
What’s Next
I’m taking a little break from the studio over the next 2 weeks, to go on a family trip over the Easter holidays.
When I return, I’m very excited to start experimenting with a looser style and learning oil paints! A few years ago I made a painting for my dad that is a copy of a sketch by Bob Dylan. Whilst I’m not in the habit of copying other artists, this was a one off for non-commercial use and to have a practice go at a much looser style. This is how it turned out - what do you think?
And finally
Did I ear worm you?
I hope so. :) It’s a wonderful thought-provoking song and I’m particularly fond of the Sting cover version as it’s featured in the fabulous soundtrack of one of my very favourite films.
Until next time,
Gemma
20th March, 2024