Rat And Moon
2008 - 23"x20.5" Black gesso, acrylic, oil pastel, pencil, charcoal, on scrap wood.
Finished with one coat brush on Liquitex Matte Varnish #5232
(Private Collection - New York)

There was a partial painting underneath this one (see photo below), and I covered it with black gesso. I scratched up the surface with an exacto knife, then drew in the animal and moon. It came together pretty quickly, and I was really tempted to add detail because it felt uncomfortably minimalistic. I resisted temptation and compromised by adding some detail outside the black area (see photo below).

This painting was completed in early February during the Chinese New Year. This is the year of the rat. The animal originally had a much shorter tail, but once I realized he was a rat, the tail was extended. I have rats in some of my other paintings (F-Train to 2nd Ave, Where The Sun Don't Shine) because I see them running around the subway tracks all the time. I like to watch the rats as I'm waiting for the train to arrive. The tracks along the right edge are marked "F" since that's the train I usually take.

Rat is looking at the moon wondering if it's really made of cheese. A few of the rats discovered a secret subway line that takes them to the moon. The painting is dated 4706.