Small Against the Sea
I have always felt the need to keep a door open, to have a view to the sky, blurring the barrier between inside and out. This body of work from my favorite New England beach, Crane in Ipswich, MA, is an integral part of my very being. The beach is my spiritual place – no roof required.
With the change of seasons, weather and time of day there is a continual shift of different colors, created reflections, textures, and light turning the beach into an ever-changing series of visual form and shape. One moment peaceful and meditative, the next a swirling force of energy or perhaps beams of sunlight streaming through impending storm clouds. Eager to share these spontaneous moments of beauty and drama I seek out a composition or vignette within the vastness of the beach. Many walk the beach looking downward for treasures within the sand, I see treasures within the frame of a bigger picture.
Choosing a long depth of field allows me to capture the unique forms of Crane’s shore while keeping the scale of people small, thereby becoming part of the landscape as opposed to individuals. My love of the ocean is always contrasted with some trepidation in the awareness of its strength and size compared to us who become “small against the sea”.