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40" x 30" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
 

Two-hours south by car from my home in Tampa lies the small village community of Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island. Accessible by bridge from the mainland, Boca Grande has been my "happy place" since childhood when I would vacation there with my parents and brother. Although as an adult I don't visit as often as I'd like, when I am able to arrange an overnight stay, I love to rise early and take long walks along the island shoreline, gathering shells and shark’s teeth and other natural treasures brought in on the tide. Sometimes, before the lapping waves have had the chance to wash them away, I will observe the small tracks of female turtles who have made their way onto the beach the night before to dig their nests and lay their eggs. In my studio in Tampa, in front of the canvas, I found that painting Happy Place transported me to Boca Grande and brought me (almost) as much joy as being there.