Lasso the Moon

Today I am celebrating one of my favourite Christmas films It’s A Wonderful Life directed by Frank Capra, with James Stewart starring as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary.

All credit to my bro who treated me to my first viewing of this many Christmases ago at the London BFI. Since then, it has become a bit of a family tradition to watch every year.

It is the movie that planted the delightful notion of 'lassoing the moon' in my head and all the associations it carries for reaching for one’s dreams.

I have been itching to make a painting about this for a long time and this year, as of literally this week, I have just finished my first attempt at it. The film triggered the idea, but I should also mention the little diecast cowboy toy, from my father’s collection, which was my reference point.

I welcome you to take a little tour of my digital painting, accompanied by the dialogue between George Bailey and Mary, without which it might not have come about. I hope you enjoy!

I have also put together a special in depth video below which walks you through how I painted this piece. It will hopefully give you a clearer understanding of my digital painting process.

I am however also interested to know your thoughts and hear your questions about this, so do let me know, in the comments below, if you have any.