A Hole in Rodanthe

 

A Hole in Rodanthe   watercolor   29 x 20 

It was November...a short trip to the Outer Banks where we stayed in a little house to soak up the wildness that this part of the country offered to us.  It was so momentous to me as our youngest son met up with us there...many beach-combing hikes, many great meals, some entertaining card games.  And THE WIND...OH, THE WIND.  

The ocean had offered up twigs, branches, and many many conch shells, each showing the wear of the tides.  It was impossible not to feel amazingly primitive...so opposed to the sequestered lives we live daily.  

In this work, my challenge was to merge the figure with the seaside.  While working, I was able to relive the experience.

I am satisfied.

Scary

Sisters in Spirit   watercolor   21.5 x 13

means so many things to so many people.  In fact, I think that our notion of what is scary is being constantly pushed to the extreme these days. 

In this painting, I chose to depict two seemingly innocent young girls in sweet patterned dresses, each wearing Halloween heads.  That, in and of itself, is a bit disturbing.  Things are not as they "should be".  I decided to push the envelope by scewing their bodies slightly off the vertical.  Diagonal placement leaves the viewer a bit disoriented....will they tip over?  will they rock towards the vertical.  In addition, the figures and the background were merged in a sameness that, in my opinion, adds a bit of other-worldliness to the presentation.

I am pleased with this work.  It is not only what we have to say, but how we say it, that makes for a more creative viewpoint.