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   “It was a dark and stormy night”...that’s the beginning of the narrative of my most recent Sunday Sunrise painting. Some of you know that I’m a volunteer with the Wightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project. Part of my responsibilities is to walk alternating Sundays at my section of the beach during sea turtle nesting season. From May through September I look for telltale tracks of a nesting sea turtle momma. This is my fourth year and I haven’t found the tracks yet but it gives me the opportunity to experience all the different sunrises over the ocean.
   Last Sunday, I didn’t sleep well as the early morning hours were punctuated by rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightening. I worried all night that I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my obligation. I couldn’t be walking the beach during a lightening storm but knew I was obliged to scan the beach to identify and mark any nesting activity. Sea Turtles are endangered and I volunteer because I care about playing a small part in their survival. Before sunrise, I headed to the the beach and although there were flashes of lightening offshore, it was just drizzling. I headed onto the beach and because of the clouds, it was darker than usual. I never did see the sunrise but saw color peeking between the clouds. Unlike the usual brilliant sunrises I usually see, this one was most dramatic in the heavy cloud cover.

   As an artist, my story telling takes on a visual form.  I hope “Sunday Sunrise 4”  tells the story of a stormy morning on the ocean. This is fourth in a series of sunrise paintings and available on my website. By the way, I didn’t find sea turtle tracks but I remain hopeful!