Infusion

Infusion   watercolor/gouache   19 x 27

is the process I feel when I dip my feet into the ocean...an exchange between my body's chemistry and the salt water of the great mighty.  Having just returned from a wonderful vacation at the shore with nuclear and extended family, I was reminded of this painting done many years previously of my friend Jo.  Between us, we raised 6 wonderful and energetic sons.  We had more to do than time allowed.  The annual trips to the seashore provided such a great relief from the worries, the cares and the work load.  The ocean is a healing balm. 

and it's a hot one

Infusion   watercolor/gouache   19 x 27

It promises to be a hot one here in northeast Ohio today. This week is my friend Jo's birthday. The hot weather brings back memories of her family and ours at the beach in North Carolina....so many beach summers that they all meld into an all-encompassing beach memory. We each have three sons. It took so much preparation that we actually needed that vacation to rest from preparing FOR the vacation. As we sat in our little beach chairs, the swirling waves sucked out all worries and anxieties.....we became one with the ocean. We liked becoming "flotsam". We became tea bags that were infused into the great water. Jo is a coppery beach person and she wears the most luxurious (in my mind) gauzy summer dresses.....and always flip flops. Her beach casual was queen-like. My mind is filled with the roar of the ocean and my skin feels salty even as I write this tribute. Happy birthday, dear Jo.