Canvas Block Painting Appraisal

Mountains at Sunset or Moonrise - Acrylic on Canvas Block

This item is an acrylic original painting on a canvas block, measuring approximately 3 inches by 5 inches. The artwork depicts a stylized landscape featuring three prominent mountains with snow-capped peaks against a vast sky. The sky transitions from a soft pink near the horizon to a dominant lavender or light purple at the top. The artist has employed visible brushstrokes, particularly in the sky where white and light gray paint has been dabbed to represent clouds, and in the mountains, which appear to be rendered with broad, vertical strokes of dark brown and black. The snow on the mountain peaks is depicted with thick applications of white and light gray paint, creating texture and a sense of volume. A large, circular, off-white form, likely representing the moon or a prominent celestial body, dominates the upper-center portion of the sky, with small flecks of a reddish-orange color visible within its texture. These reddish flecks could be a form of deliberate artistic detail, or possibly accidental pigment transfer. The canvas material itself shows a visible weave texture, indicating a standard artist's stretched canvas block. The edges of the canvas block appear to be painted, suggesting it is intended for display without a frame. There are no readily visible condition issues such as cracks, chips, or major abrasions, and the paint appears to be well-adhered to the canvas. The overall impression is one of expressive, possibly naive or folk art, characterized by its vibrant color palette and bold application of paint. The absence of fine detail and reliance on broad forms suggests a focus on mood and general representation rather than precise realism. The painting is attributed to Mallory Chesney, indicating a single artist. The style suggests it is a contemporary piece, likely from the late 20th or early 21st century.