Swim With Me
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Pictured is the painting “Swim with Me”. It is derived from a photograph I took while standing in chest deep water in the Gulf. The beach is in view in the distance as well as the Pass. I become completely at one with my environment when I am on Fort Pickens National Seashore. The water surrounding me, the light refracting off the Gulf floor, the reflection of the midday sky, the smell and feel of the salty water. It is all encompassing. This painting was a process. Layers were used to build up the translucent color over the first layer representing the Gulf floor. Then an additional layer was needed in the foreground to create the paler reflection of the sky at the surface. In the background the blue of the sky’s reflection is more pronounced. I felt I was at the center of a dome and all of the natural elements were supporting me as I rested suspended at the center.