Shine Like the Stars

Dreaming of late nights under star filled skies with you, when we talked about life like we had a clue ✨

This painting, called Sky Full of Stars, has been sold!

This was inspired by another artist's painting of a star-filled sky over the mountains. I had a canvas that was painted black and red already, and was not sure what to do with it. I researched red-black colour schemes and stumbled upon this image, which I immediately connected with and knew it would be the perfect fit for re-creation.

As anyone close to me knows, in the mountains, surrounded by nature, is where I feel most connected to my soul. I have been blessed to witness countless nights in nature with skies filled with stars, similar to the painting above. This image, in particular, reminded me of a time when I was on an expedition, hiking and camping through canyons in Namibia, Africa, lying on the sand next to my best friend at night in our sleeping bags, the sounds of baboons in the distance, under an unpolluted starry sky with the milky way clearly visible above. It was one of the most breathtaking and memorable moments of my life.

A star filled sky is simply spectacular, with the power to take your breath away with its natural and awesome beauty. The idea that stars are these huge celestial bodies, luminous balls of gas made mostly of hydrogen and helium, creating light that we can see even though they are light-years from Earth, is astonishing. Paint alone was not going to do the starry sky justice. I had researched and discovered several types of glossy finishes. I was looking for the most shiny and durable finish to protect my paintings once they were finished, and as a result had come across videos of people applying resin. I had never used resin before, but from what I could see, it was exactly what I wanted, what could give a semblance to the shine the stars deserved.

It was a very fun, and very messy experience. Just like the videos taught me, I purchased art resin, a butane torch to pop the air bubbles that would arise on application, and got to work. I mixed the resin and hardener as instructed, stirring for a few minutes and then pouring it directly onto the painting, followed by dispersing it evenly using an old paintbrush. In retrospect, I could have done things a lot better. But hey, we learn best through our mistakes, right?

For one, a wooden Popsicle stick would have been a better spreading tool than an old paintbrush and at one point, my painting palette. I even ended up using my fingers, which is also not ideal, as resin I discovered, is extremely sticky. Secondly, tying my hair up would have been smart. My hair poured into the resin, which I later had to soak in oil and vinegar so that the resin would not harden and force me to get the strangest haircut. Luckily, I had my sister from another mister with me who swooped in with her big hair clip to save the rest of my locks. Thirdly, a clean working space rather than outdoors on the floor would have been ideal, considering that all sorts of dirt and sand made it into the resin and gave the painting a rough, unintentionally multi-medium finish.

Another thing to note...resin is a really, really durable material once hardened...no, you will not be able to get it off the surface once it spills. I spilled resin all over the stones of my family's stone path, not worrying too much as I would handle it later. However, as it turns out, you can't really use oil, vinegar or as it turns out, not even a flame thrower, power washer, or acid to get that stuff off of rocks. Resin is tougher than you are! So, I begged for forgiveness, tried to re-frame the spots I've left on the stones as a nice memory of me for the family, and always use a canvas sheet whenever I'm applying resin to a finished piece. To see the process caught on video, you can check out my Instagram art story highlight.

In any case, I love this painting as it reminds me of some beautiful memories, and symbolically represents how even in darkness, there is light. That is what stars do, they shine, they light up the darkness. I know that there is nothing to fear, as even in nature when there is darkness there will be light to guide your way. No one can dull the sparkle of the stars. The darker the sky gets, the brighter the stars will shine. Each individual in the world is like a star in the sky, with its own shining light and energy, its own burning endurance, and we shine with all with have, some brighter than others. This is our chance to shine as bright as we can.

Photo by me of one of the campgrounds in the canyon in Namibia

Photo by me while waiting for the sky to darken enough to see the stars in Newfoundland

Only in the darkness can you see the stars - Martin Luther King Jr.

#stars #nightskies #artist #art #acrylic #painting #inspiration