MOON, FIRE, STARS
ILLUMINATION
The cool light of the moon, the warm crackle of a bonfire, the dancing pattern of stars — the night in nature is full of Illumination.
My partner Chris took me to Tres Piedras, New Mexico, for the July Full Buck Moon in 2024. I hadn’t camped since I was a child and was unsure if I would enjoy it. But instead of feeling too cold and pining for the internet, sleeping outside made me feel deeply freed and connected to Nature. Since then we have been on more night time trips and my Illumination painting collection has expanded. Now in honor of the Full Buck Moon in 2025, here they are again.
ANGEL
Element: Water
Time of Day: Night
Location: Tres Piedras, NM
Inspired by the luminous July Full Moon, “Angel” captures a moment when moonlight connects the Heavens and the Earth. The energy this print brings to a space is one of mindfulness and connection to one’s spiritual self.
Original painting is available Electra Gallery in Santa Fe. Inquire here.
DANCE
Element: Fire
Time of Day: Night
Location: Tres Piedras, NM
Inspired by a roaring campfire, this painting captures the Fire element in its purest state. The divination practice of “fire scrying” involves interpreting images or messages from the flickering flames of a fire. Campfires also connect humans to our ancestral roots.
Original painting has sold.
MIDNIGHT
Element: Water
Time of Day: Night
Location: Albuquerque, NM
The Moonflower, or Sacred Datura, is a classic flower of New Mexico. These night-blooming plants open under the light of the moon and reflect its pearly splendor. In some Indigenous cultures, it is used in ceremonies or rights of passage. But when people without deep cultural knowledge try to ingest the plant, it drops them into days of hellish visions and anxiety. This painting is a reminder of a beautiful, night-blooming New Mexican plant that demands reverence.
Original painting is available Electra Gallery in Santa Fe. Inquire here.
MOONRISE
Element: Water
Time of Day: Night
Location: Tres Piedras, NM
The full moon is the most luminous object in the night sky, offering light to nocturnal animals and people who come out after dark. Peaking through the trees of the forest, it encourages us to be wild and untamed. The full moon is the phase where it is easiest to navigate the woods, noticing branches and everything that moves. Famously difficult to photograph, the moon can best be represented through art. Bring this print into your home for intuition, wildness, and illumination.
Original painting is available here.
PEARL
Element: Water
Time of Day: Night
Location: Tres Piedras, NM
This painting connects the moon to its sister, the Water element. As the tides of the ocean go in and out, the moon waxes and wanes. The moon is often considered feminine, as its phases are the same length as a menstrual cycle. She is complete and beautiful in every phase, but when full, she resembles a bright pearl in a dark sea of sky. This art symbolizes attraction, beauty, and love.
Original painting is available Electra Gallery in Santa Fe. Inquire here.
SOLITUDE
Element: Air
Time of Day: Night
Location: Near Albuquerque, NM
The blue light of the November full moon honors the times in life when we need quiet, lonely silence. Sometimes the opinions and directions of others drown out one’s own inner voice. One of the beautiful things about New Mexico is the vast expanses of empty space, with subtle pathways leading to the horizon. Bring this art into your home to remember to listen to your own inner stillness.
STARLIGHT
Element: Air
Time of Day: Night
Location: Shonto, AZ
The stars our ancestors navigated by are still visible, when we venture far enough away from cities. Alone in the forest on a moonless night, we can see that the night sky isn’t just dark — it is full of stars and patterns of light between them. For millennia humans have told stories about constellations and found True North by being guided by the stars, and now in our modern life, they’re more difficult to access. This painting is a reminder that the stars still shine as brightly as ever, and we can still choose to go look up at them.
WARMTH
Element: Fire
Time of Day: Night
Location: Tres Piedras, NM
The warmth of a campfire draws people together for community, protection, cooking, song, and stories. In the glow of its orange light, listening to the crackle and pop of flames, we are connected to humans of the past and future. Just as the earliest humans learned that they could controlled outdoor fires to survive and thrive, we need them today to bring people together in community.
Original painting is available here.