I guess with a last name like Shore I was destined to love the sea. Over the years it’s been a great source of inspiration for me, and it’s always been a favorite theme in my work. And I’m apparently not alone in that! When I travel to events around the country, even landlocked places like West Virginia or Missouri, I always meet plenty of folks with a favorite lighthouse or shell or seaside Angel to be signed. No matter how far away we are, images of the sea and the beach always seem to reach out to us.
I have a couple of my own special theories as to why that might be. One is more or less based on tradition. As Americans our ancestors all came across the sea one way or another. Our earliest history is deeply connected to it, images of lighthouses and sailing ships are important links to our past. It’s a shared heritage, something that binds us together. But there may be a simpler, more straight-forward reason. It sounds obvious but I think it’s true. We love the sea because it’s beautiful. No need to over think this! We have a God given gift to appreciate the beauty we see around us. And some gifts are just meant to be enjoyed.
God Bless,
Jim Shore
