Dimensions: 58”H x 72”W x 1.5”D

Medium: Acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

Additional Info: Sides of canvas are painted • Original, one-of-a-kind painting • No reproductions or prints

About the Artwork:

before the moon takes its title from e.e. cummings' poem XXXVII, which explores the endurance of love amid the shadows of war. The line "this creative never known / complexity was born before the moon" particularly resonated with my process in creating this work, which embodies the tension between intimacy and chaos through its visual language.

The predominantly blue and gray palette evokes twilight - that transitional moment when familiar forms begin to dissolve in shifting light. This liminal quality mirrors the emotional landscape I sought to capture: a space between definitive states where possibility lives despite uncertainty.

Through layered application and deliberate mark-making, I created a surface that rewards extended viewing. What first appears as abstract texture gradually reveals subtle relationships, much like our evolving understanding of complex emotions over time.

The composition deliberately avoids a clear focal point, instead creating a field of equal intensity that draws the eye across the entire canvas. This democratic approach echoes the poem's suggestion that love is not a singular, idealized moment but a continuous negotiation between opposing forces – an ancient complexity that predates even the most timeless celestial bodies.