Moonlit Cherry Blossoms

As final tribute this year to the cherry blossoms that have long since faded, here we see a gnarled old cherry tree in the light of the full moon. Its limbs and flowers are backlit by the pale light, long shadows are cast, and pink petals glow like sparks in the blur of night. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Moonrise over Snowy Pines

Winter has been relatively normal this year along the east coast of the US. We've had a few snowfalls, with another on its way, and some cold temperatures, too. Here, we see the moon rise above a cold northern forest, casting its warm glow on the snow as a few stars peak through the clouds - light without heat. Soon, spring will come and melt away the snow as life returns to the forest. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Moonlit Swamp

Beneath a pair of full moons on a far off plane of existence, light glimmers across the shallow pools and squishy mud of a vast swamp. Spreading reeds and ancient trees grow from the mire in a constant struggle between growth and decay. Fireflies dance around the tree roots and grasses, oblivious to the eerie gloom. Part of my MTG: basic lands series.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Broken Moon

The last of a recent patch of sci-fi paintings, here we see a watery, temperate world from the perspective of its ring system. The rings were formed many thousands of years ago when the planet's moon, once in a long decaying orbit, finally crossed the Roche Limit and was broken apart. The end result is a beautiful ring around the world and many small meteors that light up the sky as the debris slowly rains down.

Digital painting created in Photoshop Elements 10

Life on a Gas Giant's Moon...

So what would life be like on a world similar to Earth, but which is merely a large moon around a huge gas giant? This digital painting explores that possibility. Here, we see a cold world, not unlike Earth during an ice age, orbiting its parent gas giant. Such worlds would have massive tides, impressive auroras, and regularly solar eclipses. The concept of day, night, and seasons would be different with an additional element introduced since not only does the moon rotate and go around the sun, but the moon goes around the parent gas giant as well. Worlds like this one almost surely exist - we have found gas giants large enough to theoretically have moons as massive as Earth - all that is needed is for them to have enough water and exist in the star's habitable zone.

Digital painting create in Photoshop Elements 10