I still look for her as soon as the first sliver appears in the sky, and the more it waxes, the more clearly I imagine I can see her, her or something of her, but only her, in a hundred, a thousand different vistas, she who makes the Moon the Moon and, whenever she is full, sets the dogs to howling all night long, and me with them.
—Italo Calvino, The Distance of the Moon.
The night is a beautiful time, a time to devote to the contemplation of life, to review the day’s events, relaxing into the evening hours, and yet many people are afraid of the dark—they like to fill their evenings with bright artificial light and seem not to worry as year by year the night sky is slowly devoured, filled with light domes from neighbors, streetlights, and businesses, while the sight of satellites, more common now than shooting stars, orbit the earth, moving swiftly through a now seemingly commonplace “mystery.” With this drawing and others in the series, I seek to reclaim some of this mystery—a mystery that reminds us how insignificant we are, if we stop and dwell, even briefly, on the night sky. Full Moon Scarborough, ME, was created to capture the feeling of seeing in the moonlight—the edges of things indefinite, the brain creating apparitions to fill the voids especially on the edges of our perceptual fields. In those moments, we are truly in contact with the divine forces of nature—inventing and responding, struggling to see and know more of the world. I began this drawing in the moonlight, beginning with a continuous light gestural line on toned paper, seeking out the feelings and forms suggested in the wavering fringes of my perception. It is very difficult to see even in bright moonlight what is on the paper, so feeling out the space is essential. It is important to feel and try to hold the scene in my memory. I keep up the gestural line for about fifteen to twenty minutes, then proceed inside to see what is there. The drawing is finished in the light by adding layers of cross-hatching while still holding on to the memory of the moment.
I encourage the viewer to try and draw in moonlight and see what they can find. It is a wonderful feeling that, in my opinion, will change your perceptions of the night. Leave that outdoor light off, and take in the wonder of the night.