Daybreak
We are the horses of salt and foam,
The wild winds and strong currents
Give form to our brief exultant life
The sea is the inhale and exhale of nature
Stand on the shore and become one with the elements
Smell the salty air and feel the warm wind
Like a message in a bottle
We carry meaning just for you
~ Kim McElroy
THE STORY BEHIND THE ART
The inspiration for Daybreak came from a photographic card published by the Sierra Club. When I contacted the photographer for permission to paint it, he told me the location of the beach is on the island of Kauai, a view from Ke’e Beach looking down the Na Pali Coast. A windsurfer friend looked at the photo and said, "Oh yeah, surfers call that kind of wave "mares heads". He had no way of knowing how profound his comment was to me, for I had discovered I could find the shapes of horses in waves, and apparently, this phenomenon is part of human experience. I have since learned that seeing horses in waves is something that sailors and surfers and those associated with the sea considers second nature.