Diana Shaul Fine Art

Story: I hold the moon gently, and it rewards me, bathing me in its light. I am part of the sky now, sparkling and bright in my way, almost a star, but not quite. It feels amazing, like I imagine it might feel to fly. And yet I don't let myself completely surrender to the experience. It'd be so easy to just let go, but I have a sense that if I do that, I might lose something of myself – and I'm not sure if I'd be able to get it back.

There are those who'd say I'm crazy, that I should want it all and take it now, while I have the chance, because opportunities like this one don't come along very often. And I'd concede that it's not every day an ordinary girl gets to hold the moon in her hand. Bathed in moonlight I've gained a beauty I never had when my two feet were firmly planted on the ground. I feel a tantalising power welling inside me, as if I might have absolute control over my own destiny, as if others might give way to me so I might take a place at the front of the line.

But what about the girl who sometimes forgets to look in the mirror before she goes out? What about the girl who thinks that winning isn't everything? She goes out for a coffee in the freezing cold with her hair in wet ringlets and laughs with the guy who pours steaming liquid into her reusable mug. She values her friends above all other things. She's someone you wouldn't necessarily notice walking down the street, but if you smiled at her, she'd smile back. If I give in to this moment, I think she'll be forever gone.

One day I'll look back on the night I held the moon, and I'll tell the story of how I was nearly a star. I'll remember how my dress turned from stones to fabric and how I held my breath as I fell from the sky to the ground. I won't cry for what could've been. I'll say that on that night, my own heart told me that the ground was where I really belonged.

Media: Acrylic and mixed media

Surface: Daler-Rowney 100% acid-free cotton stretched canvas

Size: 50cm x 60cm x 1.5cm [depth]; 19.69" x 23.62" x 0.59" [depth]