Harvesting The Light Moon

Описание: A creation story of making a large diptych for a school in Cloquet, Minnesota.

"Harvesting the Light Moon"
acrylic on stretched canvas
146.5" x 60"
2025
The time of year that is designated for harvesting wild rice occurs generally in August and September. The Anishinaabe name for this time is manoominike-giizis (ricing moon). "Harvesting the light moon" is, in my universe, the time when we work together to create solutions to uncertain times, and to build our path. Just as those paths are made while pushing a canoe through thick beds of wild rice stalks.
This large painting was commissioned by the art instructors at Cloquet Middle School, Andrea Cacek and Andrew Mettner. When I asked them if they had something in mind for a general theme, she mentioned that the kids were taking an interest in learning about ricing. I put that information in the mixing bowl with themes I generally draw inspiration from and a touch of what has fueled me lately. On the initial site visit, we chose a large, deep purple wall as the install location. I chose the yellow-green background to compliment the deep purple wall here.
Circles of light are painted here in the way that a bokeh effect might appear on camera. What is the bokeh effect? Bokeh is a word with Japanese origins, defined as “the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light.” The word comes from the Japanese word boke (暈け or ボケ), which means “haze” or “blur.” This technique is something that I have experimented with in my short films. It was an experiment to add that aesthetic here in this painting, and I'm pleased with the result. I used a glazing technique to achieve the translucent appearance.
This was a cool project to work on. I'm proud to contribute to the learning of these young folks that live on and near the Fond du Lac Rez just south of Duluth. Harvest your light in these times friends, there is much work to do, and we'll need it to see the way...).