We’ve always lived near the water–on the Atlantic when we were first married, on Long Island Sound where our kids were born, two blocks from the Atlantic for the last 40 years and on a man-made lake, complete with fish and birds, in Florida. When I was a kid, the beaches my family took me to–Far Rockaway, Atlantic Beach, Long Beach, Jones Beach, Coney Island, even Atlantic City–all had the same view: water, water everywhere, often plenty of surf, the horizon straight ahead. It was only when we moved to Boston that I became familiar with the rocky coast of New England. Quite a few of my artist friends paint these beaches with their brown sand and many rocks, large and small, coves cut into the landscape.

Marblehead | Winter

The studio I paint in is just across from Marblehead harbor, and last winter I saw a photograph someone had taken with just enough of that vast expanse of sea and sky to remind me of the beaches of my childhood. I painted that expanse on a square canvas and liked it enough to think that I should paint a larger version to hang in Florida. After spending most of February and March this winter in Boston, with some of the worst weather in years, I didn’t want to be reminded of winter in Marblehead when I was lucky enough to be in Florida. The view from South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach did the trick.  Peaceful.

Palm Beach | Winter