Silence of the Waves

The Central Queensland coastline is a truely beautiful place - full of so many pristine, sandy beaches looking out to a bright blue ocean... almost always bathed in sunshine. Some of these beaches stretch out for miles, while others are hidden away, concealed by the rocks and trees that protect them as a mother hen might conceal her chicks beneath her wings. Such beaches are a little less well-known to the tourists, but to the locals these places hold the familiarity of 'home', holding so many special memories within their rocky boarders.
Cooee Bay is one such place. I remember my first trip to this beautiful little bay, packed into a car full of youth kids from our church, the young girl in the front seat giving me directions. Following the road from Yeppoon main beach, pulling away from the traffic down the little side road, the kids piled out of the car as soon as it came to a stand-still. The delight of pushing past the overgrown trees to see this breath-taking scenery open out before me is something I will never forget.
This is the place of so many memories - soaking up the warmth on the sand while the group of church kids we took with us ate chip sandwiches, jumping through the waves with my friends on a day trip to the beach, and escaping here by myself in the early morning to just sit and be still. While this place holds so many memories filled with joyful noise - laughter, squeels, the excited chatter of my group of girlfriends - this place itself is always so peaceful.
There is something truely wonderful about the kind of silence of the waves. The rhythm of the sea washing against the sand, almost as if the ocean breaths peacefully in it's sleep. In the early morning sunrise, with the sun just coming over the horizon to touch the blue sky with streaks of golden sunlight, the silence of the waves washing over me, I can breath deeply and allow everything else to drain away. In the peaceful silence, I feel somehow closer to my Creator - where no other distractions break in other than the gentle rhythm of the sea. I am reminded that, like the rocks and trees that protect this stunning little bay, my God who controls the sea protects and cares for me.
I have chosen to capture this moment as the sun rises and touches the base of the sky with golden light. The sweeping pallet knife captures the gentle movement of the waves in their rhythmic pattern across the sand. The trees frame the piece, protecting the little bay from the outside world and creating a closeness and intimacy with the viewer as they gaze on this tiny little bay.