I don’t know if we all do but I definitely identify with the fact that I was born next to the sea and I’ve always lived, somewhere, next to the sea. I love the mountains, the valleys, the rivers and the woods…even deserts…but I would not want to live anywhere where I cannot see, hear and smell the sea, or the ocean…

I think it has greatly influenced my life as an artist…

Of course, speaking only for myself, I get energy from the breeze blowing over the surface of the salty waters that bring to land those very benefitial negative ions from the sea which are also healthy and inspiring. Although I do not believe in inspiration, I feel a certain impetus whenever I am near the water and it usually leads me towards artistic creation of some sort.

I saw a movie once that dealt with a mental hospital. The patients were very upset most of the time, they were restless and even violent. The staff and doctors were rather corrupt and did very little to pacify them. Basically they would just lock the patients up in a cage outside and leave them there, even during rain storms.

Then a therapist was sent to assist and he happened to be an artist. He painted an enormous canvas and placed it in the main resting hall where the patients were allowed to congregate. Little by little all the patients came forward and started staring at the painting. They were quiet, relaxed, at peace and tranquility reigned. So much so that the staff came to see what was going on. Then they saw the painting, and the camera panned the canvas.

What did the artist paint that caused such a psychological change in the patients of this institution? He painted the sea. Just the sea, no ships, no shoreline, nothing other than the waves in the middle of the ocean…

I think that we all, regardless of our state of mental health, can gain much by looking at the ocean. Looking at water, having water nearby, even if it is a river, is relaxing and a major stress reliever…

I want to know if people that were born in the mountains feel the same way. I want to know if they have the same attachments to their environment as I do to mine. And does your mountains, your valleys, your plains, deserts, forests or rivers give you the same intense energy that the sea gives to me. I would like to know.

You can follow me on Instagram where I place all my most recent artwork, both drawings and paintings. I am at @Francisco_Bravo_Cabrera and you can see my 2019 “JaZzArt en Valencia” collection by visiting http://www.ArtPal.com/rfbravo1155

AND

If you liked what you read and saw, please like, follow and share and as always, comments are encouraged, welcome and appreciated.

THANKS!