Sand in the pants

"Storm over sand dune " study oil on canvas, 8" x 10" by Hilary J England

I had a nice day at the beach.  I've always liked Sandy Hook, since it brings back memories of my childhood...funny, since I've been going there my whole adult life, but I never really brought my kids there...I was always too afraid to be alone with them at the beach, afraid they would drown, and I worked so much when they were little, and lived far away from my family, so I never had anyone to go with.  Sad, really.

They are more "lake" types, since that's where I would always bring them.  The lake was calm and safe, with no rip currents, no mysteries of the deep.  The beach was "off limits" since the water was wild, and the kids were daring, and this scared me.  I remember once, when Noelle was about two, she wandered away from my beach blanket at Jones Beach, when it was packed wall-to-wall with people.  I ran searching for her, blanket to blanket, and then, down to the edge of the shore, where for a moment I watched the rough surf pounding against the sand, and felt a thrill of horror like one I've never felt before or since...I just felt completely helpless, thinking in that vast, violent mass of water, my baby could be lost inside of it, and I couldn't get to her.  I just stood on the shore and cried.  The lifeguards found her wandering with a little group of children close to the snack stand.  She apparently saw the kids playing with their sand toys and ran off after them.  I never brought the kids back to the beach again.

Yesterday though, the beach was extra quiet, the water still and gentle.  The shore has a steep drop-off, so I respect that I have to be cautious.  The day was so hot, it was hell trying to cross the quarter mile of sand to access the North beach.  I can now say I feel pity for anyone who has to cross a desert.  What an ordeal...I literally thought my feet would have blisters on them.

The weather held out until about 5 pm, and then a terrific storm came rolling in.  I got to capture a good deal of it before we were kicked off the beach, and as Providence would have it, the second we opened the door to the car, the rain started.  Talk about perfect timing.

So, I hope you enjoy my painting study of "Storm over the sand dune." I was only working with four colors and titanium white, so it was as basic and to the heart of it as I can get it.  I'm looking forward to hitting up some more Shore points very soon, and getting right back into that ocean! ♥

Art Expo NYC 2011

"Sand dune study, New Jersey" by Hilary J. England, 8" x 10" oil on canvas 2010

Well, the weather is starting to get a little more bluster with the fresh breezes, and the faint earthy scent  of Spring is on the air, so I feel my spirits starting to lift with each sniff!  The crocuses have opened their splendid little petals, and Daylight savings is nearly upon us--Welcome Spring!! 

Art Expo NYC is rapidly approaching, and due to some scheduling conflicts, I will not be able to be there on Saturday, but I will be there for the last day of the Expo, on Sunday afternoon, from 2 pm until closing at 6 pm.  I look forward again to meeting some more wonderful people!

I had a visit with my Doctor, and I feel confident that with his management, I can get this back issue healed, and it is slowly starting to feel a little better, so I am not as down in the dumps about the constant pain, since it is starting to lessen.  That is enough to make me jump for joy, but I'll do that with caution LOL.

The newspaper interview went very well, and I was happy to meet such a lovely and interesting reporter.  It's always nice to meet new and interesting people, and we did have alot of common interests, off the record.  I'll post the link when her article is published.

So, I leave you with another little beach study from the Jersey shore last summer.  It's simply a sand dune oil study, but these little studies are an interesting little bit of history in themselves, because if you look very closely, you can see little grains of sand mixed into the paint, after getting pelted with sand during a wind gust.  So, I take little bits of the places I study with me!  Enjoy ♥