salt water cures
The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.
~Isak Dinesen
The fog parted long enough during the decent into SFO to see an amazing patchwork of vivid color below. I’d seen it before but that day the image lingered and tickled my curiosity.
People have been making salt from the San Francisco Bay water for over 100 years. The water flows into the ponds and over time through the evaporation process changes its salinity from 2% to 32%. The various salinity levels support different types and concentrations of life – halophilic algae, bacteria, and other organisms. These tiny creatures paint our landscape with bright yellows, greens, reds, and oranges. Reading about the history, politics, and science of the salt ponds is fascinating but my primary crush and inspiration lie in the color!
Acrylic ink was my medium of choice for its movement and flow to represent the water creating the compositions that evolved from my seeing. The images are reminders of the richness and vitality of our landscape and the continual transition it undergoes.
© Soad Kader