Clicking on the image above will bring you to imagkind.com where you can purchase a print. All profits from the sale will go to the relief efforts of the Jersey shore.
The photos of Seaside’s roller coaster in the ocean was so symbolic of all the devastation and also of the summertime fun we’ve all had there its impossible to explain. The funny thing is, I always preferred seeing the dunes rather than a boardwalk, but Seaside is iconic. It was also the first boardwalk I ever went to. Our family would spend a couple of weeks on Long Beach Island every summer for vacation. On LBI, there is no boardwalk, just little pathways through the dunes to get to the beach. While on vacation there, when I was quite young I asked my parents what a boardwalk was. They were rather horrified their little Jersey girl didn’t know, so they brought us to Seaside so I could see what a boardwalk was. So yea, it’s personal.
The idea to paint the roller coaster wasn’t mine. It was the idea of a friend of a friend to paint it and sell the prints as a fund raiser. When my friend asked me I jumped at the chance. It’s something I could do to help. We can all help. I am not making any money from this. All the money I would get from the prints will go directly to help the relief effort.
The painting itself is 24″ x 30″ oil on canvas. When I started this project, I printed out several photos I found online. Part of me wanted to capture the fury and power of the ocean, to do such a thing, but also some photos showed the blue sky shining through. I wanted my painting to show the power of the ocean and hope for tomorrow, just over the horizon. More than that though I wanted people to want to purchase it, so that I could help the people and the beaches I love so much.
Yes, I’m a Jersey girl at heart. Even though I’ve lived in New Hampshire longer than my years growing up in New Jersey, there is a bond, especially when it comes to the shore that is part of the fabric of my life. There’s no explaining it really, what the shore means to us, and it’s a big us, but you know who you are, I only ask those who ever enjoyed building a castle in the sand to please help us, help them.