Jim: In 1970 I was in a Sea Shell shop in Mazatlan, Mexico. Just browsing. The owner, seeing that I was not buying anything suggested that I might like to look upstairs. I went up the rickety stairs to the attic where they had more junk than what is in my garage. Amongst the chaos was this painting, in the frame, and covered with dust. The price tag was 10 Pesos. But I thought they might have meant 10 dollars. The difference is that Pesos has only one strike across the “S” while dollars has two strikes across the “S”. So I asked and was assured that it was 10 Pesos. So I bought it! This painting is unsigned and I have no idea who did it, but for 10 Pesos, including the frame I could not resist. 10 Pesos in 1970 was the equivalent of 53 USA cents. It has hung in my living room ever since.
Bringing it back on the airplane was an ordeal. At the condo I took the frame apart and removed and rolled the canvas. The whole shebang was still too big for cabin luggage but the stewardess let us put it in the coat closet.
Misale: Even though most of the time we sit with our backs to this painting, it reflects in the glass doors and seemingly is ever present. In days gone by, I would have thought the artist was over dramatizing. Now, I look at it realizing it is not possible to show and tell with paint and words, the immense magnitude of an ocean with emotions. We humans are so small in creation.
