October Waves 2013 Nos. 1-30 » Artist Statement "October Waves" is my sixth series of seascapes photographed at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York beginning in 1996. My images are conceptual interpretations of the sea during all seasons and all times of day. All series share a minimalist aesthetic, exploring the most basic elements of composition, contrasting light, texture, and form. Several series include the sand at the edge of the shore and the sky...but "October Waves" is about the essence of the waves only. Inspired by the Modernist painter Milton Avery's personal interpretation of reality focused on the edge of the sea, I visited the seashore each day at sunset during the October 2013 hurricane season. The waves were immense and more powerful than usual. A 300mm fixed lens was used to simulate the texture, light and shapes within the water, and moving in and out with my camera to capture the crest of the wave and the hollow section, the trough between two crests; 30 different individual portraits of 30 waves. Shooting at sunset, when the light and atmosphere are most intense, allows the light to reflect off the water, creating colors and textures within the waves which are not readily visible to the casual beachgoer; catching the moment the wave reaches its peak, and then including the waves still to come...creating a feeling of the passage of time. All series reflect the central theme of changing light and shifting tides, and invite viewers to connect to their own memories of the timeless quality of the experience at the edge of the sea. 

Winter Garden 2023 » Nos. 1-15 Abstract Jetty 2022 » One thru Twenty December Sunset 2020 » Nos. 1-20 A Cloud Study, Sunset 2016 » Nos. 1-20 October Waves 2013 » Nos. 1-30 Waves In Black and White 2011 » Nos. 1-30 Summer 2009 » Nos. 1-20 » Nos. 21-40 Winter 2009 » Nos. 1-12 Seascapes 1996 thru 2006 » Horizontals Nos. 1-20 » Verticals Nos. 1-20 Résumé » Bio » Reviews » Sizes sandragottliebinfo@me.com 212.688.0908 All images copyrighted