Rehoboth Beach Waves, August 21, 2010

Rehoboth Beach Waves, August 21, 2010 (Digital Photomontage) printed version (16" x 20")

As part of my interest in clean, safe water, I’ve done a series of wave progression photomontages at beaches in the Middle Atlantic, south Florida, and Mexico. The color of beach sand has so much to do with the way the waves photograph, and the depth of the water as the waves flow in and out changes the color of the water subtly from image to image. Also, the color of the water varies from beach to beach, and day to day in each location. In this particular composite photograph, taken from 1:00 P.M. to 1:15 P.M. on August 21, 2010, the sun is very high overhead, and so a hot spot exists on most of the photos with the exception of those with rougher and deeper water. In the top row, middle photo, and in the third row, 5th photo from the left, you can see waves crossing the sun’s image and erasing it.

The repetitive motion of wave after wave, flowing in and out in all the photomontages suggest continuity, but also change within the continuity. Each wave is a variation on the theme of “Water Equals Life,” the title of the last journal entry. Destroy the water, and you destroy all life on Earth is a not so subtle undercurrent that flows through all my artwork these days, even the pretty pastel paintings.