After the Storm

After the Storm, o/p, 24" x 48", Steven Rhude, Gallery78


Coastal storms can be horrific. They can dislodge the faith of an individual and through repeated dreams bring one back to the very event that may have caused great damage to an area or community. I still dream on occasion of a storm that struck our coast years ago. Rising water, unimaginable winds, thrashing waves all still pound away at the subconscious in the same way they probably influenced John of Patmos when he scripted his perfect storm.


Detail


But there is also the aftermath. Sheds dislodged from their original location and objects strewn about; objects that seemed to have been relocated from our original fit with the landscape by the forces of something other than just mother nature. Power outages and the requisite alternatives of wood heat and oil lamps for those without generators, are employed. Inventories are taken, and stories of the effects of the storm move up and down the community shore. Eventually relief takes over, and a routine is restored for all, until the next dream, and the next storm, a cycle always lingering on the horizon.

Steven rhude, Wolfville, NS


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