Lavender Field (Orcas Island) 8 x 8 x 2" ©Florence Moonan 2017
I have an intuitive approach to painting. As I begin a new work, I let my artistic process organically flow by making immediate decisions and taking advantage of chance revelations as to the direction of the piece. As I create, I am influenced by the colorful memories of performing in summer stock theater, my family, the natural world and experiences from my travels, but above all, music--especially Broadway musicals and opera. My love of performing merged into painting in adulthood after my father gave me a set of acrylic paints.
My first introduction to Venetian plaster came during a painting workshop in 2011. The effects I was able to produce immediately appealed to my love for abstraction. A uniquely personal artistic exploration began to emerge. My process includes building translucent and opaque layers of plaster using a metal scraper while adding to, subtracting from, and hand-sanding the surface to reveal a history of where I have been. Additional mediums, such as graphite, oil pigment stick, and Asphaltum sometimes are applied to further enhance my work.
My current work celebrates the memory of my youngest sister, and a few cherished days three sisters reunited on her beloved home of Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands, which are located in the northwest corner of Washington State. After we lost her, I began seeing my sister in every element of nature and I started painting metaphysical landscapes. The plaster’s special qualities help me render surfaces that are to me immediately appealing and sensuous, much like a beautiful aria. I am hoping each work in this series will also strike a chord with the viewer.