Monday, January 1, 2007

Tonsai Thailand, commission (installed)


2 comments:

kathryn stedham said...

This large, plein aire painting was painted on the beach while in Tonsai. I have spent two winters painting and rock climbing along Thailand's beautiful coasts. The title of this painting is "Sky Reflects Water, Water Reflects Sky...

Anonymous said...

I asked Kathryn to do this for me becasue I have always missed this view when away from it. She caught it perfectly. But there is a huge story to the painting. She was putting the final touches on it on the moring of December 26, 2004. While working in the last bits of color, she noted a dark line on the horizon. It grew bigger. Then the water disappeared from the bay. When she realized what was happening it was almost too late. She ran inland as fast as she could, the tsunami on her tail. Shes in good shape and its an uphill run, so after a couple hundred yards she was safe. Not so for the painting. It was lost to the ocean. Kathryn didn't leave Thailand with the exodus. Like so many other climbers, she stayed and helped clean up. After a couple weeks she started painting again and redid the scene.
Now, I never saw the first version. But this version, if you look at it in the right light, has a very faint dark line where the ocean meets the sky. I can see it, but if you dont know to look for it, its not there. I have never asked her if she intended this or not, but its there. That faint line reminds me of one of the hardest times any of us ever had to deal with, in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.