Corn Moon

Of course the big astronomical event happened on August 21, with the solar eclipse. I didn’t catch it, but for me, the Harvest Moons, or these earlier Corn Moons, are spectacular sights, and I don’t need special glasses to enjoy them. With the moon approaching fullness on September 6, I drew up this image I call Moonrise. This man in the moon is waking from his daytime sleep with a stretch and a yawn. Now he’s ready for work, brightening the sky to help farmers harvest late into the night.

I’m pretty sure that like me, you are fascinated by bright light breaking out of darkness. I’ve been on a kick lately drawing big, round-headed people and objects, many of which are in high contrast to a dark background. Picasso had his blue period, Monet had his water lilies, Van Gogh his sunflowers, and me and my big heads.

These have become a regular art challenge for myself. I start by simply drawing a circle or oval, usually with no idea where it will go. It started a while ago sitting in a Panera with my laptop and Wacom tablet. I drew a blue oval. Next came a smaller white circle. Then another. Hmmm, eyeballs? That flowered into the razor scooter Hey, Wait Up! girl. This kind of creative exercise has a long history, so I’m not pretending to own it. It’s just so much fun.

A couple years ago I helped teach middle school kids at Central Presbyterian Church. Our favorite art projects were the ones where I would draw a random line for the kids. Their task was to grow it into something fun and fantastic. It wasn’t an illustration class per se, but the skill an illustrator uses to imagine something that isn’t yet there is a pretty good thing to nurture.

Planting Bulbs

That my ovals and circles often become light sources, or in the case of the Corn Moon, light reflectors, adds all the more to my enthusiasm for creating these whimsical orbs. I’ve written a lot about darkness and it’s utter inability to snuff out light. That reality is a constant reminder to me that one day all will be made right. My Christian faith expects no less than the complete victory of Jesus, the Light of the World. I hope my spherical silliness is some small way of staying focused on that.

So, Shine on, shine on harvest (or corn) moon, up in the sky!

Moonrise ©2017 Ed Koehler   Hey, Wait Up! ©2017 Ed Koehler    Planting Bulbs ©2017 Ed Koehler