Moonglow. Leonard Koscianski, 66″x46″, oil on canvas, 2006.
Moonglow is a large painting in oils on canvas. It is imaginary, and is not based on any actual scene. It is a dreamlike look up through maple leaves, to the full moon, on an autumn night. It is surreal in style in that it exaggerates the amount of light illuminating the leaves. In this quality it pays homage to the leadership of Rene Magritte. There is a spider web behind the leaves in the lower left. The bright warm reds, oranges and yellows of the leaves contrast with the blues and greens of the sky. A sense of space is created by the leaves getting dimmer and bluer the higher up they are. The insect eaten leaves overlap, creating a sense of transparency. In the painting itself, the texture of the leaves is created with raised spots of paint that give the painting a physical texture as well as the illusion of the surface of leaves.