"Sycamore Moon", pastel, 14" x 20" © Bernadette E. Kazmarski

Sycamore Moon, Pastel

Sycamore Moon, Pastel is 12″ x 18″ in soft pastel on blue Canson pastel paper. Prints on paper and canvas are available.



ABOUT THE ARTWORK

There are two large sycamore trees near the entrance of the Panhandle Trail, but because they are growing against a hill I don’t see them from this angle against the sky until I am headed back home, nearly at the trailhead, and often at dusk, especially the early dusk of a winter night. Because the light changes so quickly at that time of day I knew there was no way I’d be able to capture the scene en plein air, so I photographed it almost every time I saw it. I guess I really wanted to paint this scene, and for this year’s Panhandle Trail exhibit I decided it was time.

I debated among media to use. I wanted the smooth solid color of the evening sky to the east, I wanted each branch and twig to be clear, and I wanted it to look almost monochromatic, capturing the l’heure bleu I love so much. Though I’d always imagined a watercolor I decided on pastel, mostly because I could feel my hand drawing the twisted twigs. To achieve the smooth background I used colored pastel paper, Canson Mi Tientes, on the smooth side, because the blue was just what I wanted for a cold winter dusk. I drew the shadows and characteristic mottling of a sycamore tree on the trunks and branches in dark warm gray pastel, the highlights in light warm gray, then added just touches of blue for the mid-range shadows. The moon is in pure white with its characteristic grayish shapes on the glowing white surface that make it recognizably our moon, and resting among the somewhat gnarled sycamore branches.

This painting was included in 2016: Sun Shadow Ice & Snow, Seasons on the Panhandle Trail.

SHIPPING

Shipping within the US is included in all the prices listed. All shipping is via Priority Mail. Prints are shipped flat in a rigid envelope. Canvases are shipped in a box to fit with padding. Since this original is small it is also shipped in a box with extra padding.

GICLEE PRINTS

The giclees are printed on acid-free hot press art paper for a smooth matte finish using archival inks. Giclee is the highest quality print available because the technique uses a dozen or more ink ports to capture all the nuances of the original painting, including details of the texture, far more sensitive than any other printing medium. Sometimes my giclees look so much like my originals that even I have a difficult time telling them apart when they are in frames.

I don’t keep giclee prints in stock for most of my works. Usually I have giclees printed as they are ordered unless I have an exhibit where I’ll be selling a particular print so there is a wait of up to two weeks before receipt of your print to allow for time to print and ship.

DIGITAL PRINTS

Digital prints are made on acid-free matte-finish natural white 100# cover using archival digital inks. While digital prints are not the quality of a giclee in capturing every nuance and detail of color, texture and shading, I am still very pleased with the outcome and usually only I as the artist, could tell where detail and color were not as sharp as the original.

The giclees have 2″ of white around the outside edges. The 5″ x 7″ and 8″ x 10″ digital prints are centered on 8.5″ x 11″ digital cover while the 11″ x 14″ has 1″ around the edges because the digital paper is 12″ wide. All are countersigned by me.

CANVAS PRINTS

I usually have at least one of the smaller sizes of canvases on hand, but order larger ones as they are ordered here because customers often want a custom size. Smaller canvases are a 3/4″ in depth, Canvases 12 x 16 and larger are 1-1/2″ in depth. I set them up so the image runs from edge to edge, and this print wraps around the sides.

See more art from 2016: Sun Shadow Ice & Snow, Seasons on the Panhandle Trail.

See more Landscape Artwork.