This painted Mediterranean seascape was inspired by a seemingly perfect, carefree sunny summer day on the Med. On this day, I was living my best Mediterranean life, lunching with some friends at a beach club overlooking this idyllic scene after returning from stand-up paddling. One of our paddles exploded in the heat, so we were stranded at a ridiculously overpriced restaurant by the sea.
My friends, an architect and a manager working for a reputable hotel group, had just joined us, and sat down to order their meal. As their decadent appetizer of tempura seafood arrived in an oversized, gorgeous blue ceramic bowl perfectly integrated into the colours of the landscape and accompanied by chilled white wine, they broke the news that they had just been laid off from their jobs due to restructuring.
And then they burst into tears.
The juxtaposition of their sadness and the absurdity of the oversized, yet exquisitely beautiful seafood bowl, contrasted with the tranquil, carefree setting, and the backdrop of azure blue sea, graphic stripes and pristine white sun parasols was a study in contrasts - both literally and figuratively. Their tears were immersed in a setting of breathtaking beauty. I was torn between comforting my friends, and the hypnotic, beautiful pull of the Mediterannean backdrop behind them: the graphic stripes of the beach towels, the sunshine dancing on the sea, the crisp mediterranean light creating a dance between contrasts, light and shadow.
To me, this painting symbolizes the dichotomy of living in paradise while real life still happens. Yet even in hardship, the magic of the Mediterannean persists, unparalleled in its beauty. And always, achingly sublime. Even through tears.
