Giovane Cedar Art
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  • PAINTINGS 1
    • Waterfall
    • Skagit Landscape of the Mind III
    • Red Tail Soaring
    • The Frog Poet
    • Ginkgos & Waxwings
    • Eagle's Pride
    • Spring in Bloom
    • Flower Moon in May
    • Hiding in the Tall Grass
    • Snow on the Beach
    • It Only Takes One
    • Scattered Fans
    • White Circle of Silence
    • Northwest Rain Kosode
    • In the Spirit of Serizawa & Kubota
  • Paintings 2
    • Foxgloves Reaching for the Sky
    • Two Flickers
    • Plum Tree on a Snowy Night
    • Autumn Moon by the Sea
    • Chickadee in Snow
    • Down by the Stream on a Lazy Summer's Day
    • With Hope and Hard Work
    • Towhee & Currant in Spring
    • Sparrow's Spring
    • Autumn Grasses (Oribe Tribute)
    • A Tribute to Itchiku Kubota: Ozette Sunset
    • Cathedral of the Trees
    • Baillie Scott Trinity
    • Raven's Forest
    • Eagle Embraces Her
  • Paintings 3
    • Small Skagit Landscapes
    • Dream Birds
    • Curious Crow
    • Hydrangea's Final Bloom
    • Pine Island
    • Maple Leaves in the Stream
    • Plum & Full Moon in Spring
    • Chickadee in the Quince
    • The Four Guardians
    • Circle About the Moon
    • Eelgrass Nursery Rhyme
    • Capercaillies Under Scots Pines
    • Cedar Green Man
    • Serizawa's Kimono
    • Cats United
  • Paintings 4
    • Blue Heron, Red Sky
    • As Autumn Approaches
    • Echizen Crows
    • The Spirit of Fallen Camellias
    • Temple Hawk
    • Blood Moon in January
    • Yellow Flags by the Pond
    • Falling Leaves--Washed Away
    • Goldfinch Dream
    • Autumn Carpet
    • An Eala Bahn (The White Swan)
    • Horse Ema
    • Lucia's Maple
    • Eagles Spring Dance
    • Watts Chapel Tribute Memorial
    • Voysey's tree
  • Blog Page
  • Other Work
    • Paintings 5 >
      • Camellias in Bloom Woodblock Print
      • Hot Otter Love
      • č’u•? is Seal
      • Loons & Horses
      • Hawk on a Pine 1
      • Elk Along the South Fork
      • Spirits of Ozette
      • Lingcod Guardian
      • Plum Blossoms in Spring
      • Journey Home From Ozette Island
      • Tsooes Sunset
    • Boxes >
      • Rose Tree Box
      • Celtic Bread Box
      • Creature of the Box
      • Skagit Valley Chest
      • Kells Cats Chest
      • Miyamoto's Rice Box
    • Trays >
      • Dragonfly Tray
      • Kaiseki Tray
    • Karakami Square Series >
      • Karakami Square #1: Cherry Tree
    • Screens >
      • Eagles 2-Panel Folding Screen
      • The Four Seasons Screen Series >
        • Winter Screen: Eagle & Pine
        • Fall Screen: Canada Geese & Maples
        • Spring Screen: Cherry Trees & Finches
        • Summer Screen: Swallows & Willow
      • Frog's House Screen
      • Waterfall Screen
    • Peacock Sconces
  • Resources List
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  • Sold Paintings
  • Gifted Art & Personal Collection
  • Autumn Introspection
  • Dragonfly Dance
  • Bats' Lunar Playground
  • Dance to the Moon
  • Cormorants
  • Trees III
  • The Guardian
  • Crows at Sunset
  • Night at Marymere Falls
  • Raven's Flight
  • Hunting in the Tall Grass
  • Heron & Cattails IIb
  • Heron Calendar Commission
  • Sinuois (Octopus Commission)
  • Return to the Valley
  • Eagle on a Pine
  • Ballet of the Seals
Picture
CIRCLE ABOUT THE MOON
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SUMMER 2018

     Early August and the barley is ripening in the fields of Skagit Valley.  It reminds me of Scotland and the barley traditionally grown there, much of which wonderfully ends up as Scotch whisky.  With climate change becoming more and more of an issue and sea level rise projections causing concern, storm surges will have an increasing impact on our coastal communities.  All of this leads to one of my favorite songs from Scots Gaelic singer/composer Julie Fowlis entitled Cercall mun Ghealaich (or in English, Circle about the Moon).  The song begins with Julie speaking in English which is then followed by the song sung in Gaelic, which was put to music by Julie.  These are the opening lines of the poem (lyrics) written by contemporary writer Catriona Montgomery:
 
“The year of the big storm
I saw a circle about the moon
and the stooks of barley                                             stooks: sheaves of grain stood on end
streamed to the sea,
my father my sister and I stood
watching the work of our hands wash from sight.”
 
From the liner notes, it says that “when you see a circle around the moon, it is often a warning of change—usually not for the better.”  My painting is hopefully not an ill omen of times to come for all of us who live by the coasts.  I made the frame for this painting out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.   I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.
 
DIMENSIONS:           HEIGHT:  14 ¼ inches
                                   WIDTH:  20 inches

                                                                PRICE $475

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