2025 Full Moon Paintings: A Year of Renewal in Watercolor
- architette
- Jan 23
- 2 min read
In 2025, I committed to a simple but deeply meaningful practice... painting the full moon every month in watercolor.
As the year unfolded, this project became far more than a series of paintings. It became a form of renewal... allowing a quiet and ancient feeling conversation with time, memory.
The full moon is one of the oldest shared collective experiences we have. Long before calendars, clocks, or written language, people looked up and recognized its rhythm. Month after month, the moon changes... yet also remains the same. I noticed this while observing and painting what I saw for each one.
An Ancient Marker, Revisited
Each 2025 full moon painting was created from direct observation... sometimes at moonrise, sometimes at moonset, sometimes under calm skies and sometimes during storms... or even during a lunar eclipse! Every full moon carries a traditional northeastern Native American name - chosen for what was they observed in nature at the time it was full in the sky. While I chose to use the name also - I noticed how it doesn't really apply to the full moon seasons of the southwest USA. It would be a whole other exercise to find names applicable to my location in south Texas! So I chose to focus on presence... what the moon felt like in the moment from where I was standing.
Some moons rose behind clouds or trees. Others aligned with personal milestones or unexpected events. A few carried an unmistakable mood... and over time, the paintings became less about documenting astronomy and more about witnessing the passage of months through light, atmosphere, and emotion.
A Personal Orbit
This project also holds deep personal meaning. My mom joined me on a few evenings to catch the moonrise with me. In fact - my first word as a baby was “moon,” spoken while pointing over my dad’s shoulder. The moon was something he and I talked about often.
Watercolor felt like the right medium - it allowed for imperfection, for subtle shifts, for moments where the paint moved in ways I couldn’t fully control... much like the year itself. Added bonus: I am faster and better at painting in this medium now!
Renewal Through Repetition
Even on busy or heavy days, the moon showed up... and so did I.
What surprised me most was how different each painting felt, despite the subject remaining the same. The repetition didn’t dull the experience... it deepened it. Each piece carries its own atmosphere while contributing to a larger whole.
By the end of the year, the collection felt less like twelve individual artworks and more like a visual meditation on time, continuity, and care.
Continuing the Practice
This is a practice I’ll be continuing into 2026. There’s something powerful about choosing a single, enduring subject and returning to it again and again... especially in a world that constantly asks us to move faster and do more. The moon doesn’t rush. It keeps its pace.
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