holding my breath underwater

The story is that many of the paintings, including the one the title of the group is named for, were inspired by a last-minute first-time trip to Nantucket. It was the end of summer 2021, and my husband, daughter, and I decided to go there on a whim. On the ferry, I realized I had never been so far “out to sea,” and the island’s flatness made me feel like the ocean could swallow us up at any moment. We got an authentic “Gray Lady” experience with stormy skies one minute and bright sunshine the next, biking on misty trails to fish and farmer’s markets, collecting shells on the sound, and jumping and diving through the roughest of ocean waves.

The story behind the story is that humanity is underwater. Between global systemic injustices, violence, tens of thousands massacred, and millions displaced and starving, unending wars, environmental disasters, and a climate in crisis, we are sinking, looking down, watching the show on the flatness of our screens. And like Nantucket, it feels like one giant wave could take us out.

I am holding my breath underwater and looking up with strategic optimism, fear, awe, reflection, determination, and a refusal to despair.