That Midnight Neon Glow

I tried my hand at soft pastels the other day and attempted to paint this Dendritic Agate, one of my favorite stones. Agate is a type of Chalcedony (the stone used to make those vintage, cameo brooches ladies used to pin on their sky-high necklines). The dendritic inclusions are the black bits, and often look similar to tree roots, branches, or even river estuaries.

My agate is “milky” and has one particular inclusion that looks like a perfect pine tree silhouette. I thought it’d make for an interesting model, and was going for something “real” that looked a bit abstract. Here’s the real one:

Anyways, I’m happy with the final result! I practiced blending for hours and begrudgingly stopped at 1 a.m. with burning eyes and a numb mind. I did accidentally grab a neon orange color for the highlights. (It was dark, and I was fried, haha.) I meant to pick a more natural orange, but that neon glow is actually alright in my book. It’s fun, and bright, and how I’d choose to see the world if I could. So, here’s to that neon glow!

I’m excited to try another painting, and perhaps will choose a more easily recognizable subject. But then again, how fun would it be to create something totally, completely new? Something pulled from the ethers, something “weird”, something waiting for it’s chance to taste our physical reality? An idea will find me eventually…or I’ll just try a flower.🌹

Thanks for stopping by today! 👋🏼

You can explore some of my other art here.

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An Elegant Evening to Remember
Let Life Flow
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