Luna, Original oil painting

Original oil painting by Sarah Soward.
Oil on panel.
10x10 inches, unframed.

This painting is the first of the Moon Rhino collection, and it is going to the Moon in 2024! Details below.

Luna uses three glowing white rhinos to represent the Earth's moon in three stages—a waxing crescent, the full moon, and a waning crescent.

This is a very detailed Surreal wildlife painting with a great deal of contrast. It still maintains a sense of calm. I like to think of the two rhinos in the background as dancers, as if the moon is doing pirouettes across the night sky as it transforms from new moon to full and back again.

Luna is the first painting in my Moon Rhino series and is directly inspired by our moon. The three rhinos represent three stages of the moon. The rhinos in profile, with their curved, crescent-shaped horns, represent the waxing and waning moon. The rhinoceros walking forward in the center demonstrates the moon at its fullest.

Rhinos, rather than the traditional choice of humans, are used in this painting to bring greater awareness to this incredible creature's plight. Most of the five species of rhinoceros are endangered or critically endangered. The northern white rhino subspecies has waned to a population of two. That's one less rhino than this painting holds.

Lunar Codex Details

Luna is being digitized and sent to south polar region of the Moon as part of the Lunar Codex. This is a time capsule of sorts that includes digitized art in the form of fine art (like Luna), music, writing, film, and more.

My rhino painting is part of the Polaris Collection, scheduled to launch in November 2024. The mission is going to the Moon's Nobile Crater via SpaceX Falcon Heavy/Astrobotic Griffin Lander/NASA VIPER Rover. The Polaris Collection, including Luna, will remain on the Griffin Lander as the VIPER Rover explores the crater—including some of its permanently shadowed areas! This is the perfect place for Luna to live on the Moon.