... yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again. Ecclesiastes 1:7

I find myself thinking of this biblical quotation as I sit by the riverside... gazing at water still shaded from the early morning sun... watching heads of willow seeds drift slowly by... all the rivers flow into the sea...

Recognise these words? They're by a favourite writer of mine, and if you visit regularly you may recognise them from something I did earlier. Yes, the words written by mel continue to inspire me.

When i laid the plaster down for 'hear the ocean' i also put some on this black Hannemuhle Buggra Butten paper... it's designed for pastels, but at 120gsm i thought it may be heavy enough to take this technique. If you don't try, you don't know! The paper did cockle a bit with the wetness, but dried out ok. I used various blacks & silver, thinking about waves crashing at night in moonlight... the photo doesn't really show the depth that the 'rocks' give to the piece, but i'm pleased with the 3d effect in real life.

While i was at it i prepared plaster stones/rocks for a couple of other pieces aswell, this one is on a 36x24 inch canvas. (the different colours at this stage are just different tpes of mixture)
Next came the colour.... white all over then acrylic the rocks so they looked shiny & wet even when the paint dried.... splashes of acrylic, emulsion, ink & more water.... here's a close up, click on the pic to see the detail.... & finally the words....


Don't you think the characteristics of the ocean mirror the range of human emotion (or do we mirror the sea)? We tend to use emotional terms to describe these different qualities.... angry seas, tempestuous waves, tranquil waters.... the waves undulate, rise up & down like our emotions.... our emotions, whether positive or negative, ripple out affecting those around us. Virtually every emotion can be related to a movement or state of the ocean... and of course both are dramatically linked to the moon.

We can use the ocean as a powerful meditational focus.... swim with the tide... imagining gentle rolling waves to bring our breathing under control... visualising turbulent emotions crashing themselves out onto rocks... until they are spent, then gently soothed back into calmer seas.... perhaps basking by moon or sunlight.... we can plunge deeper & deeper into the depths of the ocean & our soul to uncover hidden currents of hurts or inspiration, depending on our intent.... we can imagine ourselves as a pice of stone carried by the ocean, our troubles or illness being soothed & worn away... we can ride the waves & surf with our dreams, empowered by the ocean spray.... we can return to land, refreshed & grounded by the feel of sand & lapping waves, ready to return uplifted to our lives... let the power of the ocean lift you again....