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Waterscapes

My Morning Run Along Lake Harriet

My Morning Run Along Lake Harriet

"He saw that the water continually flowed and flowed and yet it was always there; it was always the same and yet every moment it was new."

— Herman Hesse

poet, author

"Lake Harriet Sunrise"

24" x 36" | Oil on Canvas

Oil painting of a bubbling fountain In London.

Walk Along a Florida Beach

MAYIM began as a painting to decorate my home for the Passover Seder celebration. I have decorated our livingroom and dining room, where we have the Seder meal, every year since my children were small. It was my way of engaging the children in the often lengthy Seder service, story and meal. The theme for Seder 2015 involved the symbols of Passover and those on the Seder Plate. One symbol on the Seder plate is salt water. We dip parsley and vegetables in the salt water to remind us of the tears of the Israelite slaves. Water is a dominant theme in the Passover story- Baby Moses is found in a basket floating in the water of the Nile, one plague turned water into blood, the tears of slaves ( of all people enslaved, not free), and the miracle of crossing the Sea of Reeds. I felt water was a powerful image for Seder and I tried to show that power in the water's movement /motion in the painting.

We stayed in a very small room in a BnB in Marblehead, MA. Luckily the weather was beautiful, perfect for walking. We found a great walk from our BnB up a large hill overlooking a huge waterway and marina. I thought all the many boats and ships were awesome, bobbing in the water. One large sailboat made its way slowly thru the mass of boats. We sat on a bench and watched the boats for several hours, breathing in the sea air. A time of serenity.

Oil painting of a woman swimming with three turtles.

Oil painting of a woman swimming in Panama.

From a visit to the MN Zoo. I was struck by the grace of these colorful, exotic looking fish, with their magnificent striped bodies and fins (both striped and like floating veils), swimming quietly and slowly in the watertank. Their movement was mesmerizing. I tried to capture some of this wonder that lives in water.

Inspired by my friend, Christine's, run each morning along Lake Harriet. She takes time each morning to run, exercise and think before she starts her jam-packed day. I love the sense of peace, quiet, soft morning light, of being alone with your thoughts and of being happy. Time and nature stand still, if only for one beautiful moment.

We traveled to and toured the southern island of New Zealand.
At one of the harbors we stopped in evening was just falling. We stood out on the deck, together with a seagull, and watched the sun go down. The waterways were stunning, the landscape extraordinary. I tried to capture the peace and beauty that stretched out before us.

I love the look and feel of large bodies of water. It gives me a sense of never-ending freedom; the ability to fill my lungs with sea air. I think water is beautiful.

Beginning as a simple still life of a pillow with an image of a lion fish, this work morphed into an imagined collection of water objects-the fish projected from the pillow, the paintbrushes suggestive of fishing lines, the cups suggestive of delicate seashells, and the cloth suggesting and then becoming water in motion.

I think of running barefoot on the beach with the soft foamy water washing over my toes and feet. The sound of the waves flowing up onto the beach resonate with me. It is both exhilarating and calming.

My painting was inspired by a sight seeing trip in Tampa, Florida with my husband Dan and family in 2019. We were there for Dan's lifetime achievement award (The Marty Lubaroff Award). After the ceremony we all went sightseeing to the Tampa Aquarium. I saw this beautiful pelican behind the glass and felt "who was watching who" unsure which of us was more confined. I thought this was a regal, unique looking bird. I decided to paint it and bring this memory back to life, to have forever.

This abandoned rowboat brought with it dreams of rowing far out into the sea with no particular destination in mind. Just to feel one with the water and sky.

The painting is from a friends view (on an anchored yacht) of the Regatta flying by. I tried to capture the exhilaration one feels watching those giant sailboats sail by and the push and pull of the seas waves and the full wind.

We were on a large sailing boat in Annapolis. It was a large group of people, maybe 15, on this boat. I looked up at the giant mast feeling small and vulnerable. There were many signal flags and international marine flags on the main mast. Not all were recognizable, so I put in the US, Israeli, British, Italian and Brazilian along with several signal flags. We sailed out on the Atlantic, tho never far from harbor, at a frightening clip. It was exhilarating and beyond scary when the ship would lean and water would spray on us and the inside of the boat. So much more intense than sailing small sailboats and sunfish boats in college at Univ- Madison. Thought a lot about my dad who was in the navy in WWII. He walked like a sailor all his life. (I never had "my sea legs" quite like my dad)

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