Hurricane Season and Art

Photo credit KF Rose June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season. Blessed with an art studio by the sea, I have a front row seat to an ocean view when Mother Nature brings the drama of perilous weather right to our front door. Frightening as this cloud formation is the composition and color are just mesmerizing and reminds me of two paintings I have seen at The Clark Museum in Williamstown, MA. Stormy Sea, Monet photo credit KF Rose The strong diagonal cloud bank, the dark skies and deep shadows in the painting give an emotional punch of impending severe weather just like the shelf cloud over the Atlantic. Monet grew up on the Normandy coast and was familiar with the sea's appearnce in different atmospheric conditions. This painting is so striking because it is in such contrast to the pastel colors in paintings by Monet we are so familiar with. Summer Squall, Winslow Homer photo credit KF Rose A sudden storm observed from his studio at Prouds Neck, Maine may have inspired Winslow Homer to paint Summer Squall. The sailboat in the distance, the huge waves, the rocks in the foreground all create a drama that almost makes the viewer want to run for a dramamine.  Afternoon squalls are almost a daily occurrence in the summer months in Florida. Hopefully we won't have a tough hurricane season in 2020. This year has given us enough already! During the last hurricane when we were required to evacuate, we were forced to pick and choose what essential items to take with us.  I have a few out of print art books that I cherish but  I could not pack them and take them with us. Give that some thought as you make your hurricane preparedness plans. What are you taking with you? Several of my paintings are at Village Arts Framing and Gallery in Sawgrass Village in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Hope you will have a chance to stop in and view the exhibit.