Darby Fitzpatrick
The ocean has been the heart and soul of my inspiration since I was a kid. In my photographs, I aim to call attention to the things people often overlook while looking out at the ocean. Additional influences, such as Eva Volf and Alexandra Velichko, two well-known painters, have also informed my work process and understanding of the ocean.
These two painters focus on a lot of detail in their paintings, drawing attention to the foam, water direction, and splashes, just as I do in my photographs. I specifically search for where the wave begins to crash and the splatter of white foam as it hits the surface water. I look for how the light passes through as it curls and the spontaneous flare of water during its crashing time. The movements of the ocean’s water are all random, yet they all have a purpose. Surrounding the ocean are beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and little beach towns. Whether the ocean is calm or rough, people still seek it out as a place to be set at ease. In the heat of the summer or in the dead of winter, the ocean is never still.
Come what may, the sea remains in constant motion whether millions of people are watching or if no one is watching. This thought has influenced my self-expression because some of the most breathtaking ways of the ocean are what people fail to notice, but the ocean doesn’t care, it keeps moving anyway. The opinions of others are irrelevant to the sea, as it needs no one's approval to keep being what it is.