Ebb and Flow

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

“Of this there can be no question—creative work requires a loyalty as complete
as the loyalty of water to the force of gravity.”

- Mary Oliver (Upstream: Selected Essays)

Our beginnings, we are told, were in the sea, and our DNA is riddled with the vestigial coding of the fish. It is no surprise that the ocean quietly rises, falls and calls in each of us, though we may be far away from her.

This week, we traveled back to spend a little time with the ocean, its endless skies and briny air, and to immerse ourselves in its restorative powers. We benefit from syncing-up with its rhythms—it seems to realign our horizontals and verticals so that the world makes more sense.

Painting the ocean and marine environment goes further and delivers even more benefits. Edges where land meets water are always fascinating and filled with life. Tidal waters create an ever changing composition. The plein air challenge of moving sunlight is doubled by an advancing …