The Ocean Muse
Dear friends and fellow colour enthusiasts!
Today I am reflecting on “The Ocean Muse”. The ocean inspires and informs my art tremendously. I am so very fortunate to live on a little island in the Salish Sea, west coast Canada, and experience it’s delight and wonder on a daily basis. From the changing tides, sunsets, the creatures that live beneath, and yes- the stones that are tumbled and washed to the shore- the ocean is a never ending source of creativity.
Last week I was at the beach and I saw this driftwood sculpture-
It was a beautiful window to the stunning ocean and snow capped mountains before me. As I continued to walk the beach this sculpture sparked off a whole series of thoughts and reflecting on how the ocean and sea shore brings out a child like playfulness and awe.
Over the years of my beach wanderings, I have stumbled across many other expressions of creativity at the ocean’s edge. From the simple act of stacking stones to the more elaborate driftwood sculptures all these people have felt drawn to play with their surroundings. Everytime I come across one of these creative expressions, I feel a connection to another kindred spirit. Another person who has answered the call to create. Here are some of them-
“Your heart is the size of an ocean
Go find yourself hidden in it’s depths”
-RUMI
It’s on beach walks where I do my deepest thinking. I imagine that each wave washes away my worries. There is just something about the ocean that I think we are all intrinsically drawn to and the greatness of it helps us tune into ourselves, each other and our world.
A spark of an idea, like a drop in the ocean that is actually a part of the entire ocean itself…
There is no denying that the ocean is utterly beautiful and magical in an ineffable way that us humans have spent an eternity expressing through our creativity in words, song, dance, paintings, sculptures…
I’ll leave you with a slideshow of just some of the ocean inspired art I have created over the years. I hope you can feel the soothing calm energy, hear the waves and feel the cool wind on your face.
I’d also love to hear your thoughts and experiences with the ocean and its shore.
With gratitude,
Elspeth
