Sadness is a crashing wave

Pulling me into the depths of the sea

Singing its dismal song, urging me to dive deeper

Its forlorn darkness pulling me under until I can’t swim back up

Coming and passing at its own whim

Choking me in the depth of my battered psyche

Lonely, desolate, it drowns me in a sea of self-loathing

And when it crashes upon the shores of my soul, its wrath is unmatched

Happiness is a shallow pool

Not deep enough to swim, just fake and predictable

Its waters are stained with memories and mixed with salt

I grow out of it, not large enough to contain me anymore

If sadness makes me drown

Why do I want more?

The title of my piece is Serene Sea. I used acrylic paint and I would classify it as a small painting. Before starting this piece, I had an idea in mind of what I wanted to create and sketched a rough design to get the anatomy of the wave correct. I then started with a mid tone to paint the waves, then moved onto the darker areas and then onto the lighter areas, and finally, I went in to do the smaller, finer details like the highlights and the sea foam.

I really took inspiration from our general circumstances at the moment. Art is something that I find peace in and I wanted my work to reflect that and hopefully help other people to find peace. The ocean is a very calming place for me and many other people as I really enjoy nature and being outdoors. I also used some more muted tones to help convey this calming feeling.

This piece was actually very difficult for me despite being so comfortable with acrylics. I am a perfectionist and for me, this piece was an attempt to let go and create something without worrying so much about the finished product. I tend to overwork a piece in order to try to make it perfect, but with this one, I tried to focus more on the experience rather than the outcome. I kept my paint strokes light and not as blended in to try something new and to try to add more of an expressionistic style.

I hope that when people see my art, they can try and relax and see that although things might seem out of control right now, things will work out in the end.