In
this ethereal painting entitled “Bridle Path” is one of Mulleian’s most complicated
achievements, in its attempt of capturing the very essence of a night, soft
as satin yet in a natural, though trancelike setting, an environment of nocturnal
majesty and errant affection. In viewing the original painting viewers experience
the need of adjusting their eyes as one would in an actual moonlit night environment.
The
artist spent three years studying the effects of the soft iridescent moonlight
and muted colors of night on people, plants, trees, ground and the windmill
in Golden Gate Park. So intensely nuanced are its hues of light to shadow and
shadow to light, it began to play tricks on the artist’s eyes six months into
the painting. Were the blues become greens that suddenly become reds in kaleidoscopic
colors, across the artist’s vision that left him ill for four days. The painting
took one year to complete.
Beneath
the sound
of moving blades,
comfort
is found
in unsuspecting
places.
Children
of the
night roam the
bridle
path like mirages
of passing faces
as a haunting
summer
wind taunts
desires
that are sanctioned
by a full moon's
glow.
