DANCE TO THE MOON
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
WINTER 2021

     The winter solstice has arrived to mark the end of the darkened nights and give us hope as we anticipate the longer and brighter days ahead.  Definitely a time of hope and renewal, it is a time to celebrate, a time of joy—and maybe even a time to dance to the moon!  I was inspired to create this painting after seeing a photo of a large jar by Seto potter Kawamoto Goro posted on the Robert Yellin Yakimono Gallery Instagram page.  Goro’s exquisitely crafted pot shows ten stylized cranes “dancing” below a crescent moon.  This was more than enough inspiration to do something similar, although more restrained, with herons.  The design for the herons was influenced by both Northwest Coast Native and Celtic art traditions.  Many examples of art from the Japanese Rinpa School were instrumental in designing the water.  I made the frame 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:  17 inches
                                  WIDTH:  27 inches

                                                      PRICE $550

Kawamoto Goro