the Savage Collage

For most people , the beach is a place to stroll along on weekends, or a place of calm, or a place to cool off on a hot summer’s day. For me , the seashore is my home. Ever since my childhood , I remember myself at the beach. Our house was near the beach and everyday my father would take me for our daily stroll along the seashore. We would run together, breathe in the salty air ,build sand castles, or just enjoy the silent roar of the crashing waves, which until this day , still is the sound of my existence. One Friday evening, my father took a nap and never awoke again . My father simply disappeared from my life. I was only 12 years old. I searched for him and heard his voice on the beach. I wanted to run with him, but from that moment on, i had to run alone on the rode of my life. This was a time for long periods of silence, not a sound and hardly a breath left my mouth. The only way that Iwas able to express myself was through drawing. My tears mixed with the paints and all my fears, sadness and anger were expressed on the canvass. The paints became my best friends. The seashore became my escape, my sanctuary. The people on the beach nicknamed me “Galit from the beach” (Hof) . In time I decided to adopt the Hebrew word “Hof” which means beach, and my name became Galit Hof. At first, I didn’t allow anyone to even peak at my paintings. However, it wasn’t longbefore people began to look over my shoulder as I painted and slowly the ice was broken. The beach opened a new avenue to my surroundings. Many people would pass by and watch me paint and there even werea few who wanted my paintings to hang on their walls at home. The beach even introduced me to the love of my life, Tuvi, who happens to be a lifeguard and my personal savior and the father of 3 children. We stillspend a major part of our lives at our second home, the beach. Lately, I am undergoing a process of making peace with my past and looking forward to a better future with brighter colors and new paintins technics.