Endless Wave

There’s an organization you don’t realize you’ll need until you do: East End Hospice. Every year, I participate in their cigar box auction in East Hampton in August. This time, I took a beautifully curved wooden cigar box, primed it, and sanded it. Just getting the box ready for paint takes time, time I use to think about what I want to paint.  I love painting waves, so I decided to capture one in three dimensions, completely transforming the box into an art object.

Endless Wave Cigar Box, Side View

You’ve seen one wave, you’ve seen them all? Not at all. If you really look, each wave is unique. The extension of its curve, the foam cascading down the front, it’s always different. Waves are energy traveling through water, shaped by wind, distance, and strength. When they break on shore, that’s where all the beauty unfolds.

I’ve learned over the years that waves come in sets, groups of larger waves rolling in, then followed by a lull. They travel from distant storms, and for surfers, catching that perfect wave in the set is all about timing. The same is true for wave-painting artists; I have to catch the precise one that inspires me to capture it with my paintbrush.  Spend time watching the ocean, and you’ll sense the endless variation, a rhythm of constant change and movement that calms me every time. There was never a time when I made the effort to go down to the ocean and regretted it. I always feel better after checking out what the ocean is doing.

I have a couple of bigger waves on display at Romany Kramoris Gallery, 41 Main Street, Sag Harbor. One is in the window right now. Check it out if you are walking through Sag Harbor Village and enjoy!

Warmly,

Casey