Beach Stories- Judy Steffens

Beach Stories- Judy Steffens

     Having been lucky enough to live in a tiny beach condo for a year, my observations of people and daily life on a beach over that period of time sparked the creation of this collection of paintings.  

     I was inspired by the way people seem to shed self-consciousness when they get to the beach, no matter their shape, age, or size.   Some of us travel a long way just to have a few days of this life.   We pack up our loved ones, towels, snacks, drinks and bring them to the beach to laugh, play and have fun.   We are there to enjoy life in the sun, sand and sea.    We may kick a ball around and splash in the waves.   We will walk with a friend, relishing the feel of silky sand beneath our feet.   We like to scan the shallow water, stopping to pick up and inspect a few seashells to take home as souvenirs.   Some of us simply sit and contemplate the waves tumbling in and then sliding away.

     These paintings, full of color and light, realistically depict ordinary people doing the everyday things we do at the beach.  They capture and suspend in time fleeting moments of our lives.  They tell stories of who we are.  They celebrate our human connection to each other and also to the vast ocean, reminding us that we have very much in common when we are staring out at it or simply walking beside it.

 www.judysteffens.com

A portion of sales from this exhibit will be donated to Red Cross specifically for hurricane relief.