Art

Item Description

First of three paintings in limited edition print, in acrylic. Print is stretched on canvas, and is mounted. Measures 17" x 24".

Item Special Note

Painting comes complete with story by artist Tammy Hartmann detailing significance of image to her.

GEORGIA BEACH ROCKS #1

“No rock so hard but that a little wave may beat admission in a thousand years.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson

Whenever I find myself walking on a beach, I can’t help myself; I always look down and

marvel at the various shapes and textures, and wonder where each one originated. How

far had it tumbled to arrive precisely at my feet? I have been collecting rocks for as long

as I can remember; they have always fascinated me. I have some favourites—my

smoothie, from White Rock Beach; a piece of the Berlin Wall that a family member

grabbed as the wall came tumbling down, and my ‘standing O collection’ from the

various beaches around Gibsons, B.C., where I call home.

It was a sunny warm day in May 2021, while we were enduring the restrictions imposed

upon us by the COVID pandemic, that I was fortunate enough to participate in an ‘art

lesson’ on the beach. I was one of three artists being led by our art teacher and mentor,

Ed Hill, on Georgia Beach. We are blessed to have many beaches on the Sunshine

Coast, but this one in particular is a personal favourite for beach combing—the rocks

never disappoint. Georgia Beach faces Keats Island on one side, and Vancouver Island

on the other, with the ever changing waters of the Salish Sea rearranging the rocks at

every tide. With the beach’s gentle slope, it is easy to meander and gaze for just the

right collection that might end up on my easel.

On this particular May day, while rock gazing, there was no need for words. We walked

in silence as each artist was drawn to a particular configuration of rocks that focused our

artist’s eye. I think I must have taken over fifty photographs that day. I thank God daily

for the wonders of where I live and the people who live in my community. They have

truly been what has helped me survive and thrive during this pandemic. It hasn’t been

easy being isolated and separated from friends and family for so many months. But, at

least I could always rely on the beach and rocks to be there, always able to ease my

restless mind. And painting certainly helped to keep me focused when little else could.

As I gaze at my finished painting now, I do hope that like the waves that tumble the

rocks into submission, this pandemic is tumbled into submission as well. God knows we

have had enough isolation to last us a lifetime.

Written by: Tammy Hartmann

Gibsons, B.C.

July 2021