Friends-

It has been a tough year for me for both medical and socio-political reasons. Those reasons impacted my creativity and some of you may have noticed a diversion from my usual subject matter.  If you did, you can pat yourself on the back for being observant. I  was raised believing that art has an important role to play in recording reality and to remind us of truth, especially during a time when harm is being done. Well, sadly, harm is being done right now and art has to do its job.  But rather than getting stuck in painting that reality, I’ve decided that offering a Reprieve to both you and to me is important as well.

This painting from California’s central coast is one Reprieve. It depicts sunset at a location that my family has been visiting annually for more than 50 years and therefore holds an enormous amount of memories for me. I offer this splendid sunset view of it in the hopes that it inspires you to breath deeply and imagine adsorbing the generous fragrances of salt water, kelp and pelican poop, feeling your feet getting embedded in smooth wet sand, and also being comforted by the steady sound of incoming waves.

Typically, I use my paintings to raise funds for worthwhile non-profits, but to be honest I have not decided if I can part with this one. Let me know if you have a compelling non-profit that you would like to help and I can probably be convinced.

I will be attempting to paint more of the good things for a while, and thank you, Maria Veri, for the use of your recent photograph to make this 14”x18” oil on canvas happen.

 

Margie Lopez Read