May Newsletter
- May 1
- 3 min read
April Showers bring May Moon Flowers!!!
Happy May My Moon Joy Lovelies!!! Can you believe it?!? We went to the Moon!!! I'm still in awe at this marvelous feat and the amazing four astronauts who were a part of this mission.
I have been living in Moon mode for the past several years. My husband, Ricky, works at NASA and worked on both Artemis I and Artemis II. So, we have been talking about the moon for the past several years.
It's fascinating to hear about. Just last night, we were talking about all of the different viewpoints that went into this mission. For example, you have the engineers who build the rocket and vehicle, the flight controllers who operate and fly the capsule, and the scientists who gather data and study the moon itself. So many people created this mission, and it was amazing to see everyone work together and get to experience all types of "Moon Joy" from their respective fields.
The main thing that has interested me about space is the adventure behind it! The wanderlust and the exploration! This is what I love about travel and hiking, and I would argue that space is the ultimate form of exploration!
I have been creating space art since 2018 (holy moly!!). My very first piece was a tiny little astronaut holding onto a Moon Balloon.
I liked it, so I decided to sell it. It did pretty well, so I made some more space prints, and then some more, until suddenly I realized I had a Collection that people seemed to respond to.
A turning point for me in the series was when I painted these blooming moons! They brought me so much joy and happiness, and I was tickled pink that everyone else responded to them, too.
I've let the collection sit for a while, focusing on other work, but this past mission has definitely inspired me to create some new pieces. I made a small batch of prints last year, pictured below.
But over the past few weeks, I have been tinkering with some more pieces. I thought it would be fun to share what I've been working on (even if it's still in sketch form).
Per usual, I started with small loose and very rough thumbnail sketches in my IPad. I like to use the Procreate app for sketches. It helps me move more quickly before I paint or draw on paper.
To refine my sketches, I enlarge the thumbnail and sketch out finer lines.
I was inspired by the photos of the crescent Earth behind the Moon and I was inspired by how these astronauts talked about and lived in this mission.
They are explorers and climbers!
They are road-trippers!
They spoke of the Moon like authors and poets!
They admired the Moon, and they admired our home, Earth!
And ultimately, they spoke of Moon Joy!
Not only for themselves but for all of us watching back on Earth!
Hopefully, I will be sharing the finished pieces with all of you soon. I will keep tinkering away, and I hope you keep basking in the sunshine that Moon Joy has brought to the world!
I'll leave you with this clip from the mission!
If you want to check out my current space collection, you can find everything at the link below.
Cheers and see you in June,
Rachel
