I am that kind of person who doesn’t find much comfort in the water. I easily get cold feet. And I sense all kind of dangers lurking under the water surface — algae touching my belly, fish nibbling my skin.

First things first: I haven’t been swimming this entire summer. Not even once! That’s even more surprising since I used to be a triathlete for decades, spending endless hours in the pool, trying to improve my crawl stroke. I silently hated it.

Even more astonishing it is that nonetheless I managed to jump into lakes, rives and even the open sea, often freezing cold, as the prelude to what was my real passion — the 180 km bike ride, followed by the marathon run.

I belong to the land.

Still, this summer I longed for water. A lot. Or maybe it’s the shades of blue I was longing for — the turquoise, cobalt and dark navy?

I created a small series of swimmers just from memory. I always find it easy to draw things I know firsthand: I know swimming from years I spent in the water, I can draw bikes just from repairing my own bike, and I can draw people running because I run. As I imagine myself doing these things, my drawing hand seems to be able to remember. It’s astonishing!

Even more, as I was working on these swimmers, I felt all the nice side effects I would have experienced if I had visited the pool — the sense of calm and cool from the water, the feeling of being refreshed, and the joy of being alive.

I draw because I want to feel alive.

Maybe, if I’m lucky, looking at my art evokes that very same feeling in you, my lovely reader. I am so grateful for you being here — thank you!

I might finally visit the local lido. See you in the water 🙂

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