As I think on this week with Earth Day coming up, I remember participating in the first one, with friends, in High School! The Providence River in my home town, was really an industrial mess. Trash and pollution was rampant. Now, there is a monthly event there 'Water-Fire', with gorgeous gondolas bearing burners to light the water, and music to enchant guests!
My "Ocean Muse" painting I am sharing, was inspired by my stay on the Gulf coast of Forida, just a few years ago. RedTide had been occuring all month, in July and continued all that summer. It was pretty gruesome. Fish, in all sizes and stages of decay littered the beach, bones and scales all scattered along the coast, air felt hot and splintery in my lungs. As I observed this daily, I could not help but think of Georgia O'Keefe and felt like her a bit, in my curiosity of skull and bone, shapes and tone. I was on a residency to paint and hoping to use this gorgeous location for new inspiration, yet here were these earthly difficulties and dis-ease facing me. What could I do with that? I asked my 'Muse' why was this happening now, why couldn't the ocean be more receiving, and lovely, and welcoming to me? She answered, as a mother would, "My dear, I am ill, and have to rest, catch my breath, my children are sick, and I'm very tired. This is part of the circle of life, and many will die, but the oxygen will return, the algae will clear, eventually all will be well again, when I get the help I need." Now this past year the pandemic actually slowed down pollution enough to give Mother a break. Some places were clear for the first time in decades. We need to figure out a way to stop the fertilizer run off into the ocean, clean our beaches, eat sustainable seafood, and remember to take care of our dear Mothers: Earth and Ocean, Sky, and Nature. This painting reminds us of our beautiful Mother, her health is in our hands. Our health comes from her. We are all connected in a precious way.
"Ocean Muse" acrylic on paper, 36"x36" DM for info.