What is it

about a wave

the way it rises and falls

ebbs and flows

gentle and powerful

calming and terrifying

the roar and the lapping.

They dance

laced with delicate webs of foam 

or frothing and churning wildly

no two are the same

What is it about a wave 

that calls us?

About a Wave

For nearly two years now, this work has called to me – this large canvas filled with a single wave. It peeked out from the end of its painting rack and each time I passed it in painting storage I would say “I love this work, I have to do an episode on it” but for some reason I waited. But all the while this wave sat, churning in place taunting and calling me each time I saw it until that pull was too great to resist. I wondered at first, what story this wave tells, I sat with it – letting its roar fill my mind. But the question that seemed to echo in that roar was simply: “what is it about this wave, this simple crest of water, that calls me so vehemently to it?” 

Artist & Mariner

Through the research I’ve done on Frank Vining Smith, the artist, it seems that he, too, perhaps mused on this very question. This piece is entitled “The Wild Gulf Stream” and though we don’t know exactly when it was painted, we do know that Smith followed the pull of the waves from a young age throughout his life.

He was an avid sailor and, at one point, we know that he did sail to Nova Scotia and as far as Ireland, a journey that would take him along the North Atlantic gulf stream.

In the numerous days on this seafaring journey, I wonder if he sat and watched the waves, mesmerized by them? Watching them change and morph with the sun, the wind, and the current?  And what drew him to the water? To paint this wave?

Smith longed to be on the water, he spent childhood summers on Monument Beach and Buzzard’s Bay in Massachusetts exploring the water and learning to sail. As a teenager he desperately wanted to be a sailor but his mother wouldn’t let him for fear of his safety, so he turned to recreational sailing and painting the water instead. 

Painting the Past

His career, like a wave, had highs and lows but through it all, he returned to the water, constantly called to it. His early career saw the 19th century give way to the 20th, one marred by war and economic depression. Smith mainly painted ship portraits, from small racing yachts to aircraft carriers, but primarily large, grand ships of the age of sail. He seemed to cling to the past – a sentiment we see reflected in his works. In their romantic, colorful glow, he captures the verve and excitement that he as a sailor likely felt when he took to the water. 

I wonder if perhaps he found comfort in painting the sea, especially in the changing times because the sea, despite its ever changing nature can still feel unchanging – ancient and steady. And though a work like this is rarely seen in the artist’s catalog, it makes perfect sense. He skillfully captures the technical intricacy of a wave in the same way he does the ships he loves and has studied so thoroughly, but he has imbued it with the feeling that is within him. This work captures the thrill – the visceral buzz that comes from being on or around the water. 

The Feel of the Water

Smith has made that sensation palpable through the vibrant colors. A range of blues from a dusty aqua to a vibrant cobalt swirl together. The misty spray rises from the waves and seems to blend with the chilly sky. Dabs and strokes of violet and delicate pink adorn the waves- bringing a hint of warmth and depth. The warm white and the cool white balance each other creating the effect of sunlight-kissed crests. 

The delicately warming rays of the sun glint and dance across the wave, illuminating it from the upper right side of the canvas. Yet in its grace, there’s an intensity, a looming danger that is suggested by the composition – the mass of water consuming nearly ⅔ of the canvas. The artist has also placed us at a low, close vantage point – almost as if we’re not just watching this wave, but becoming one with it. In the detail, we see the depth and complexity that comes from an artist who has spent days, weeks, years watching the water. 

The Simple Wave

He could have painted a true seascape, but instead he chose a wave, this wave. Its simplicity and simultaneous complexity is beautiful, mysterious, and compelling. It swells and churns, life-sized or perhaps larger than life on this grand canvas. An ode to his muse. A celebration of water.

What is it about a wave?

What is it about a wave, the water that calls to us?

Is it that water is powerful? Not just in its might and ferocity. But in its gentle, life-giving way.

Or that it’s mysterious? Waves laced with lore. Its depths still guarding its secrets, yet to be explored.

Or that it’s healing? Nurturing not only our body but our minds and souls.

Or that it’s giving? Providing abundance to generation after generation. 

Or that it’s exciting? Playful and dazzling – dancing with exhilarating fervor.

Or that it’s connecting? Calling everyone, no matter who you are, to come and gather.

What is it about the water?

What is it about the water that calls to you?

Watch the full episode on YouTube!