Homebound to the Sea

Homebound /adjective/: 1) on the way home; 2) unable to leave one’s house, typically due to illness or old age. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have almost exclusively existed in the two places that feel the most like home to me. The first, my house and studio, I inhabit by necessity. The second, the ocean, is where I go to think, write, dream, and tend to my spirit. The fog, chill, and persistent winds of the San Francisco coast run counter to typical beach culture but seem apropos in the current moment and, counterintuitively, warms my heart. My home is a refuge, but I am constrained here by forces I cannot control. My choice to travel to the ocean gives me agency. In Homebound to the Sea, I visually bridge the gap between my two homes. While sheltering in place, I discover fleeting seascapes as light traverses the walls, ceilings, and floors of my house throughout the day. Next, in an iterative process, I travel to the ocean and capture moments that reference the light inside my house. I then create diptychs that continue light, form, texture, or mood across the composite image, interweaving the intimate connection I have to both places.