Swimming Hole

by Larry Whitler

Canvas Print

$88

Framed Print

$113

Art Print

$63

Poster

$63

Metal Print

$111

Acrylic Print

$119

Wood Print

$91

Tapestry

$39

Throw Pillow

$24

Fleece Blanket

$46

Duvet Cover

$98

Shower Curtain

$68

Bath Towel

$33

Ornament

$9.50

Jigsaw Puzzle

$38

Tote Bag

$23

Weekender Tote Bag

$43

Zip Pouch

$22

Portable Battery Charger

$47

Yoga Mat

$60

Greeting Card

$4.95

Spiral Notebook

$15

Sticker

$3.50

iPhone Case

$26

Beach Towel

$33

Round Beach Towel

$70

Weekender Tote Bag

$43

Coffee Mug

$13

Men's Clothing

$25

Women's Clothing

$25

Youth Clothing

$21

Toddler Clothing

$19

Baby Clothing

$23

Title

Swimming Hole

Artist

Larry Whitler

Medium

Painting - Digital Dry Brush

Description

I hadn't thought about that old swimming hole in decades. But there I was, sitting in a traffic jam, going nowhere fast, and that old swimming hole came to mind.
Hmmmm.
They said that swimming hole was magic. That seemed like nonsense. Or superstitious folklore.
Maybe it was “magical” in the same way a lightning storm can be magical.
But, magic?
Could the swimming hole make us disappear, or grant us a wish like a genie?
Nope.
It could cool us down, give us a place to bare our souls, and maybe even provide us with an impenetrable confessional.
My confessions were to myself. I always went there alone.
The most vivid memory I have is the time I trekked through the woods and found two young women at the swimming hole. They were on the large rock that us kids used to jump from.
Maybe they were magic. Or maybe I was just a guy who would soon be disturbing their alone time. I may have been young but I knew that my presence would have changed whatever mood they were enveloped within. So I left.
They never even saw me or heard me as I backtracked and put off swimming for another time.
Sometimes memories bring a sigh.
Those days at the swimming hole were so long ago and yet here I was, stuck in traffic, reliving those memories as if a movie were playing in my mind.
Like going back in time. If only we COULD turn back time.
Funny thing is I often close my eyes, think about those days, and can still feel everything I felt back then.
Life is so much more complicated now. Like this traffic. Why are there so many cars?
But, honestly, traffic jams are the least of my problems.
At least when the highway is more like a parking lot I can daydream about that swimming hole all those years ago.
It’s a memory that transports me to a younger time. It’s a memory that makes me disappear. It is magic.
Maybe they were right.
Maybe the magic in that swimming hole just took a few decades to be realized.
Maybe the magic is in the memory.
I painted this digitally using Procreate with the dry brush.