Sunday, July 3, 2011

The Power & The Glory

"The Power & The Glory" Oil on canvas 20" x 30" Copyright, 2011 Jake Gaedtke

This is the studio painting of The Power & The Glory from the study I did that is shown on a previous blog post. This is my first studio painting of a seascape. Norman Maclean's last sentence in his book and the last line to the movie "A River Runs Through It" he writes "I am haunted by waters." That line rings so true in my life and my work. There is something so appealing yet so mysterious about water that haunts me. It can be a small slow running creek, or a roaring thunderous river bringing the melted snow from high atop the mountains down to lower elevations like there is no tomorrow, or a calm ocean with it's waves coming to shore and the sunset glistening the waters like sparkling crystals. As a young boy my family would take our summer vacations to my Grandparents place on the shores of Rice Lake, Wisconsin. Our days were filled with water related activities, especially swimming and fishing. Countless hours of aquatic adventures and exploration kept us occupied. Sometimes I would just sit and watch those waters of the lake and it's rhythmic swaying waves up and down reflecting earth and sky lapping against the boat keeping time with nature. Hypnotic and timeless, the waters put me in a trance of deep thought and wonder. It still does. Water is life and water brings life. Water can take life and destroy the very things we love. The eternal vastness of the ocean  and it's ultimate Power of crashing against it's sandy and rocky shores reveals the Glory in it's beauty and majesty.