Almost Rideable
A Painting by Jay Wegter
The love of the ocean ‘for the Lord’s sake’ is one of the gifts God has given His people. For, the heavens and the earth are filled with ‘glory pointers’ that magnify the power, wisdom, and beauty of our Creator. Believers echo our Lord’s creation doxology in Genesis 2:31 when they exalt His majesty displayed not only in the sea, but in the mountains, canyons, prairies and stars.
Sky and sea are unique in the range of moods they communicate. The calm, gentle lapping of the seashore on a still morning seems worlds apart from the thunderous swells which explode into towering jets of spray. The heart skips a beat at the thought of being capsized by one of those watery mountains. And, regarding sky, when the roiling black is torn apart by forks of lightning, it makes the brave shudder.
The sea and the sky bear a unique visual relation to one another. For, the sea is responsive to the sky, always ready to reflect its mood. A threatening sky is mirrored in a grey, foreboding sea. And a clear sky is refracted by the ocean in a host of blues and greens and blue-violets. The sea is also ready to ‘celebrate’ the fiery opal colors of sunrise and sunset. For, in reflecting the sun’s colors, the sea give us a doubling of the majestic show above our heads.
To the observant eye the ocean reveals its colorful ‘gems’ when the water is lucid. These liquid gems of jade, emerald, sapphire, aquamarine, turquoise, tourmaline, malachite, and lapis lazuli are tonic to the soul. “Almost Rideable” seeks to depict but just a few of the liquid gems from that marine spectrum.
But, what of the swimmer, gladly being ‘swallowed’ by a breaking wave? There is something almost ‘womb-like’ in experiencing the embrace of the folding curl. That last glance down the barrel before the wave shuts us in is magical. To the imaginative, it is a little like a wormhole; an entrance into another existence in which time stands still for a moment. I want to stay under longer and commune with the denizens on the seafloor. Nearly half a century ago when body surfing in La Jolla, I would dive under a wave and grab hold of the sea grass on the bottom so that the wave would not push me to shore. Brilliant orange Garibaldi Perch eyed me as I briefly entered their quiet world.
All of the elements described above contributed to this artist’s inspiration of “Almost Rideable.” The ‘glory pointers’ that God has placed in the ocean have moved artists, poets, and composers throughout history. Our Lord’s palette of power, beauty, and creativity come together in every wave.
“And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; and here shall your proud waves stop’” (Job 38:11).