The Ocean…

The ocean has always been my happy place. There is something about standing near it that immediately changes my perspective. Problems that felt enormous somehow become smaller when I am looking at water that stretches farther than I can see. Maybe that is why I became so determined to learn how to paint it.

Seascapes have not been nearly as cooperative as landscapes. Mountains make sense to me. Trees make sense. Waves apparently have their own rules. They need movement, transparency, shadow, light and foam…all while looking effortless. Mine have not always looked effortless. Some looked more like piles of white paint being chased by blue paint. But I kept trying.

I think part of the reason I keep returning to seascapes is because they represent what I want my paintings to feel like. Peaceful. Open. Inviting. A place where someone can look at the canvas and, even for a moment, feel the way I do when I stand near the water.

Learning to paint the ocean has also reminded me that the things we love are worth struggling with. I could stick with what comes more naturally, but then I would never know what I might become capable of doing. So I will keep working on the waves. I will keep straightening horizons. I will keep learning how light moves across water.

And maybe one day I will look at a seascape and feel like I finally captured a little piece of my happy place.