Back in the 1980’s, I was swimming laps at the YMCA. As I traveled down the lane, I caught watery glimpses of other swimmers. I became fascinated by these figures abstracted by movement and water. I painted several small studies of these images, and a new series began.

The first swimmer paintings I made were frenzied and splashy. I recall one lap swimmer in particular. This man thrashed along with a maximum amount of effort for a minimum amount of glide. I used his chaotic energy as inspiration for several of these first paintings. Over time, the swimmers series evolved, and the swimmers became more refined and efficient. My swimmers from 1998 glide smoothly through transparent water. The abstraction has a mixed quality of energy and calm.

In 1995, I was again at the pool, this time watching my son, Reid, learning to swim. I once again became fascinated by the fragmentation of the figure in the context of water. This time, my epiphany related to the figure moving into the water, and the sudden energy of that encounter. I was captivated by that split second when the explosion of the splash envelopes the falling body. This image inspired my “Cannonball Paintings”.

I am currently painting “figures in the surf”, as part of the Beach Series. It is easy to see their evolution from the Swimmer Series.