For one University of Alabama MFA student studying art, a traditional canvas was not enough. Instead, Aynslee Moon tranformed an entire room into one piece expressional piece and is presenting an installation of that work, “Painted Space,” in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery located in 109 Woods Hall.
Originally a journalism student at the University of Mississippi, Moon decided to return to her first love of art and painting by changing her major.
“I guess, deep down, thats what I’ve always wanted to do,” Moon said. “That’s what I enjoy doing the most.”
After graduating from Ole Miss with a BFA in painting, Moon sought to further her career by pursuing higher education. After applying to six universities, Moon decided on the University of Alabama because of the faculty, ample studio space and opportunity to teach.
Moon said the inspiration for “Painted Space” came from her original plan for the gallery, to make individual pieces by tearing and sewing painted pieces of paper. From there, she decided to expand the idea onto an entire wall, and finally, whole entire room.
“It’s like you’re standing inside a painting,” Moon said. When you walk around, instead of looking at individual pieces, the space is the painting. The painting creates the space.”
Moon was also inspired by the actual body movements used in creating the space. She had to use her entire body in order to paint on such an extensive canvas.
“The show took a lot of movement and it was such a large scale,” Moon said. “I used to dance and play music and, like that, painting used my whole body. Movement inspired me.”
The large scale at which Moon worked proved daunting, but she said it encouraged her to have faith in her own skill, as well as the medium with which she was working.
“It’s not like you can take it down and put a new one up. I had to have faith it was going to work out,” Moon said. “It felt a little risky, and it made me feel excited and adventurous.”
Stephen Watson, a third-year graduate student in the painting program, was impressed by Moon’s ambition and the risk she took when creating the space.
“I like that she created something not to go and be seen, but go and experience,” Watson said. “It’s not a bunch of things hung on a wall. You get to go and be inside an environment. She totally transformed the space into a completely new place.”
In the future, Moon plans to write proposals to other galleries around the country so that she can continue her “Painted Space” series. She is willing to travel anywhere her art takes her. She also hopes to continue to teach, for she feels other students’ work inspires her own creativity.
“I want to travel a lot,” Moon said. “Each time, I would paint it differently.”
Moon’s exhibition opened Aug. 24 and and will remain on display until Sept. 21.
