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This  paintings of the bay at La Boca outside of Trinidad in Cuba was one of three challenging pieces painted after traveling to Cuba with my father in the Summer of 2018. We chose a location bayside where we could sketch and paint from the patio during the tolerable heat of early morning as well as in the evening when the breezes came in from the sea and down off the mountains. The bay is shallow and I was able to walk across except for a small channel  on the far side where the fishing boats can be seen going out in the evening and returning at sunrise. The Escambray mountains present a soft silhouette to the North and are veiled in a light fog throughout most of the day in summer

In La bahia de La Boca – Trinidad, Cuba I found time challenging to portray in a painting without the piece becoming a diorama or a schematic. I wanted to create something timeless…within the context of time.

The passage of time is conveyed through the transition of light, the pattern of the waves set against the constant of the landscape anchored by the mountains. The fishing boats reinforce the narrative as they move towards the rising sun.

On the left side of the painting the moonlight illuminates the clouds and the movement of the sea.  An arc of small fishing boats anchored across the bay throughout the night. The sound of music, low voices and the occasional small motor blend in with the gentle sounds of the surf as heard from shore. As the sun begins to rise in the right side of the painting the undersides of the clouds are lit and the trees and contours of the Mountains become visible.