Missing Image

Peggy Huff

Neighborhood: North Beach
_____

With a history as an avid open water swimmer, I paint the vibrancy of how water feels, the glint and shimmer on the surface, the change of colors and moods during the day, the lushness of an evening swim and the unknown below creating an element of unease and tension.

I learned to swim, by accident, when I was around 5 years old when I fearlessly ran off the dock into the lake without wearing my life jacket. Over the past decades, swimming has been a daily ritual in my life. Whether I’m in a pool, a lake, pond, river or ocean, I am drawn to the well-being and comfort of being in water. The dark side of swimming is when I have encountered in myself a curious display of impetuous courage and not paying attention to nature. My work reflects the thrill of a deep dive, the dark and stillness of a night on the lake, the rush of cold water, the pure joy of just floating on water, the fear of the unpredictable.

Thank you to Bonnie Tsui and her wonderful book, Why We Swim.