Temple Moon

On a beautiful full moon evening I visited the Temple of Philae while touring in Southern Egypt in the autumn of 2009. Located on the island of Agilika on Lake Nasser the temple was dedicated to the Mistress of Magic the goddess Isis, the most famous goddess of ancient Egypt. Cleopatra worshiped at this temple after it was completed by her father Ptolemy XII. I was allowed to wander around the temple grounds a bit at night and get some remarkable views. I managed to take a few photos to base this painting upon which I completed back in my Montana studio. In the painting one can witness the full moon rising over the varied columns of Trajan’s Kiosk as a flock of egrets fly across the shimmering Nile waters toward the lights of nearby Aswan.