Art: Blue Sea by Britnie Walston
Catherine
When Mom and I arrived, you hid the donut behind the picture.
You sat in the sunny kitchen, embarrassed that you’d been caught with a sweet.
My mother tsk-tsked as you deflected our attention to the old photograph,
gray and yellowed, like your sagging skin.
I stared at the image—a girl wading in the ocean not far from the shore.
“That’s me.” You pointed to your former self, wearing a bathing suit like a dress.
Your stockings rolled, you pushed dark water aside to reach a boulder
in the crashing waves and foam.
I moved closer to inspect. I smelled sweat from your large body.
“Did you sit on the rock when you reached it? Was it fun?”
My mother rummaged around us, putting dirty plates in the sink,
running water in the basin.
You laughed, then held your pudgy hand against your cheek.
“I was gathering food for dinner. Sea lettuce is what we called it.
We scraped the rocks and made stew. ‘Twas the food we needed,
but it was good and we were happy.”
“Time for your bath.” My mother put her arm under yours.
“Jimmy, help your grandmother up.” I wrapped myself around your back, pressing into your
soft flesh. “Up you go. On the count of three. One, two, three,” she said.
You moaned and breathed deeply as we lifted.
When we reached the bathroom, my mother said she’d take it from here.
“That was Clew Bay in County Mayo,” you told me before the door shut.
As she eased you into the warm bath, I listened to my mother scold you—
your diabetes and hiding the donut.
She blathered on about your eating habits and hygiene.
Silent, except for sighs as she sponged your back,
you were three thousand miles away, walking into the sea.
The water was colder, but its sweet memory was all you needed.
About the author:
James Mulhern has published many times. In 2015, Mr. Mulhern was awarded a fully paid writing fellowship to Oxford University in the United Kingdom. That same year, a story was longlisted for the Fish Short Story Prize. In 2017, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
As an artist, I have over 15 years of professional experience and knowledge of traditional painting, drawing, photography, and graphic design. I received education from Goucher College, a private liberal arts college, which provided me with a versatile knowledge of techniques, materials, and subjects. In addition, I also participated in studio painting classes at the Maryland Institute College of Art. My experience in the art industry continues to grow through research and self teaching.
While in college, I was a fine and performing arts scholar and had the pleasure of exhibiting my work in a solo art show in 2011, followed by various collaborated exhibitions. In 2008 I was also chosen as a White House Christmas Ornament Artist from my district. In the summer of 2012, I also studied abroad in Greece, studying Greek mythology, exploring historical sites, architecture, and museums with the University of Maryland College Park. My studies also included art history, independent studies and critiquing classes. In addition, I’ve also been published in magazines such as Sonder Midwest Issue #4, Mud Season Review, Blue Mesa Review Issue #38, and Abstract Magazine TV, as well as artshows with galleries including Towson Arts Collective, Maryland Art Place and ‘Limitation/Liberation’ with the Art Enables gallery in Washington DC.
As part of my bachelor’s degree in studio art, I worked as an intern and gallery assistant for nonprofit art galleries such as the Towson Arts Collective and Maryland Artisan Guild, in addition to the Lenrow Gallery at my college. I now run an online shop, and have launched a Youtube channel, educating viewers on topics from hanging installations to painting tutorials.
In the artist’s words:
Britnie Walston is a Maryland based versatile artist and photographer, capturing energy through light, vibrant color, depth, and texture. The use of exaggerated brushstrokes and abstract color give her paintings life and voice. Her landscapes and abstract work consist of a variety of unconventional techniques to capture the elements portrayed. One of the most used techniques in her abstract paintings, is the method of mixing each individual color using acrylic paint, floetrol, silicone, and water. Together, they create “cell like” forms.
Britnie also achieves different designs and textures using household objects such as strainers, straws, and frosting spatulas. She aims to depict the emotions of liberation (“set free”) and freedom (“being free”). As a child who grew up around the Chesapeake Bay, her work as a whole, is inspired by nature and portrays the absence of human presence, bringing out the personality of nature itself, while providing the viewer the opportunity to escape and appreciate all the beauty that surrounds us. More of her work can be found at www.BNWArt.com.
Portfolio link:
www.BNWArt.com/portfolio