"Palm Beach Summer" by Diane K. Hewitt

"Palm Beach Summer"

28x32" Oil on Canvas

Private Collection

This is a painting that I did as a wedding gift for my best friend’s child and her new husband. They now live on Singer Island, but they went to school in Palm Beach.  My friend and I have spent many fabulous days soaking up the sun and salt air over the last 30 years on these Florida beaches, as has her children.  What made the painting really special as a wedding present was the heart, filled with sand, that was naturally carved into the rock on the left side of the painting.  Unfortunately, the photo that I took prior to giving her the painting cut off part of the sides, so you can only see half of the heart.

What is it about a beach and ocean that is so calming, relaxing and rejuvenating?    Many say it is the salt air that is healing, in that salt is a natural antiseptic.  Others have told me that it is because I was born in March and am a ‘Pisces’, and since the symbol for Pisces is fish, the Pisces is most comfortable near or in water.  While all of that make sense to me, I have come to the conclusion that much more than that draws me to the ocean.  When I am on a beach viewing the vast ocean before me, I feel the absolute strength and power of God.  It is there that I feel most tiny in a universe that is much too infinite for me to fathom.  While at the same time, I feel a secure serenity wash over me, as I stand in the sunny warmth of an all mighty Heavenly Father shining down on me,  a Father that has always been and will always be there for me, nurturing and kind beyond measure.  It is an especially wonderful feeling during these uncertain times of economic and emotional upheaval brought out by politics and stress.  Just writing this makes me anxious to get back to the beach as soon as possible!