This painting comes from my studio easel, an imagined landscape of the sky, with the smallest bit of ocean at the bottom. The air seems translucent, filtered.

The 8 x 10“ size might suggest to some that this is a plein air sketch, portraying a particular day and place. Yet, rather than an observed landscape, it comes out of my heart. One thing you may notice is the dreamlike light and silky, limited color range. The blues throughout are soft; no harsh cloud-break contrast. It is my deliberate effort to create distance and a long arc of time.

The title refers to the waves of air and moisture that, emulating ocean currents and wind whipped waves, create magnificent cloud forms. I’m mindful as well of the electromagnetic waves of light that scatter through earth’s atmosphere. But other thoughts come to me.

Does time move in waves? Sometimes life does feel like ocean swimming- being suspended in the ocean water, big waves lifting the body up off the sandy bottom then setting back down. Time doesn’t seem to me to be linear, but I’m no scientist so I can’t prove my wave theory. It’s more of a sense of how time seems to behave from my perspective.

So this little painting has big ideas. It is the title piece of my show at Tiffany Peay Jewelry, on view until Labor Day.

Atmospheric Waves
June 28-September 1, 2025
Tiffany Peay Jewelry, 3851 Main Rd, Tiverton, RI