Capturing the Ocean in Black and White . . .

I shot these photos last fall when my husband and I took a long weekend trip to Rhode Island one of my very favorite places to go. It is less than a 3 hour drive from our home in NY. I have been going up there for 10 years now and there is just something about the area that I love. We usually go to Newport and stay at a beautiful B&B situated right on the ocean shore. The above shot is the view from our beach cottage which is pictured below.

Soon after I was diagnosed with cancer 9 years ago I took a drive up to Newport alone and spent the day sitting on some rocks near the ocean shore. It was 2 days before my surgery. I sat there for hours just listening to the waves crash against the rocks as I pondered life and death. I found peace there that day that I believe helped me to move forward with all the dark road that lied ahead.

I will never tire of spending time near the water. It is what brings me peace and helps calm me. It is the place I turn to for solace and for hope. I believe that nature can heal us with its energy.

Where do you go to find peace? In some of your darkest moments what has helped you?

View From The Hill . . . A Landscape

One of our favorite places to visit is Newport, Rhode Island. I have always been drawn to the ocean. Actually to any water really. It is very healing for me to hear the sounds of the waves crashing and breathe in the salty air. There is a B&B there right along the ocean where we love to stay when we head up there. I took this picture last fall. We were heading down the hill from the main house where we had just eaten a wonderful breakfast. I love how the trees line the path.

This year when I started painting I thought of this photo and how it would make a good landscape painting. I gave it a try with the help of my instructor in a workshop I took back in March.

Here it is on a 16x20 stretched canvas in acrylic . . .

Each time I look at this painting I think of that hill at one of our favorite places . . .