Taking a break from my Chinese brushes. Just a short one mind.

We were out for a walk the other evening and there was a full, or nearly full, moon. Down by the weir on Lower Dodder Road, the effect of the moonlight on the river was quite magical. Christine suggested that I paint it. My painting skills are improving but they’re not that good. This morning, however, I had a look at a YouTube video of a very talented Australian artist who was demonstrating how to reflect moonlight on water. He was using acrylics and a very dry brush. So I thought I’d give the technique a go with gouache on black paper. I tried a sea scene rather than a river. As a first go, I’m reasonably pleased with the result and it’s good to know that I wasn’t as terrified of the prospect of trying to get on paper what I saw in my head (with a little help from a photo I found on Pinterest) as I would have been a few months ago.

I’m still keen on the idea of using pebbles in various ways. I painted on one this evening. It’s a little too clinical and the blue colour on the wings is too blocky. I’m a bit disappointed with it but there’s no shortage of pebbles to use as canvasses.

Trawling through Pinterest this morning, I found some other ideas for egg shell paintings, and I came across a reference to red bamboo (there’s some mythology around this) and Chinese brush painting with gold paint on black paper. There’s no end to the stuff one can have a go at. Oh, and my wax and wicks arrived in my office this morning so candle-making is very much going to happen soon. Just waiting for the delivery of some essential oils from the US. The US! The simple fact is that, even allowing for postage, it’s far cheaper to order them from the US than buy them in Holland and Barrett or anywhere else in Dublin.