Tide In,  30" x 30", acrylic on canvas

New Work Accepted
I received notice this week the painting shown to the left was accepted into the Gateway Center for the Arts Biennial Juried Exhibit titled "Odyssey".  The works are to depict journeys to, from and within Florida, to coincide with a September Exhibit.

The opening will be Sunday, March 4, 2012 from 2-4pm and closes on April 27, 2012.  

Scroll down to my entries  from April 15, 2011 and November 26, 2011 for inspirations and  reflections on this piece and its relevance to a place within Florida.

www.gatewaycenterforthearts.org

The Ocean as Fleeting Artist

 Photo of line and mark on the beach

How many are your works O LORD

Psalm 104:24

This month I was given a Personal Art Retreat at a friend's condo just yards from the beach.  This often is an annual gift which I am most grateful for.  Previous visits have uncovered some discoveries about the language of the sea and shells (see previous posts) and this year I discovered the ocean as artist. 

One of my  favorite activities is to take long walks along the beach.  Breathing the ocean salt-air clears my head and brings clarity to my thoughts as well as opens up all kinds of creative thinking.  So, when I began to discover patterns, lines and textures on the sand, I was overcome with excitement at what I found! I started taking photos of these "paintings" and now have a whole file of ideas that could become inspirations for future paintings about the sands of the seashore.

 Photo of line and mark on the beach

A remarkable thing happened as I photographed some of these patterns and designs which made me aware of the fleeting work of the ocean as artist.  As soon as I clicked the shutter on the above design, the surf came ashore and wiped away these marks.  So I feel I have an original, never to be created the same again.  How special is that?!

 Photo of design on the beach

"snakeskin"

The above pattern looked like a snake had lost it's skin and left it to dry in the sun, all stretched and flat and ready to be framed.  Remarkable!  I have many others, but these will give you an idea of what can be discovered when I take time to see and observe the environment around me.