Watched Over

“Bodie Light” is the first in a series of paintings that explore the quiet moments of little living things in the marsh. The piece focuses on two sources of light— the sunrise and the lamp of the Bodie Island lighthouse. Together they open up the marsh landscape and even spotlight an egret and 2 mudflat crabs in the foreground. The attention given to the impact of light across the scene is decidedly an “unsumi-e” gesture, but I took that rather transgressive excursion for a purpose. The painting was created for a special show at my church’s up-and-coming gallery show called — “Bringing the Light.” In the end, to me, the yellow rays give the wet and broken marsh-scape a warm brilliance. The tonal qualities evoke a feeling of peace and a quiet assurance that all things are being watched over.