Poster Image

A woman swims in green water

$20

Item#: 2016SYR06

Purchase Details

11x17-inches, printed on heavy weight (100-pound) Hammermill cover paper. We package each print with a piece of chipboard in a clear plastic sleeve.

You also receive…

An information page with photos of the artist and poet, and hand-written comments from each.

Medium- and large-format posters are available by custom order. Contact us for details.

Poem Inspiration Location

Swimming in Green Lake

poster information

Description

Swimming in Green Lake
Submerged as if in a dream:
Water's warm embrace

I grew up swimming in the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. Going to Padre Island was a Sunday ritual. My mother loved to swim laps in the deep water beyond the surf. I would see her bathing cap bobbing up and down. After I moved here, got married, and had five children, I discovered Green Lakes. Now that we are retired, my husband swims laps there all summer. I am more likely to swim the days that are warmest. My destination is an uncrowded lap lane. My mother died and never got to know Central New York, but I have often thought how much she would have enjoyed swimming laps in the tranquil waters of Green Lakes.

Even though I am not a swimmer myself, I like water and its aesthetic qualities. I wanted to create a dream-like visual narrative of what it is like diving underwater, similar to what was being communicated in the haiku. This is why I chose to portray the water in an abstract way with varying lines and curves.

As a city, Syracuse doesn't quite compare to other places like New York City, but there are hidden gems. The art scene is out there—it's just a matter of being curious and asking around.