CONEY ISLAND - WISH YOU WERE HERE. Digital Collage. Shelby Pizzarro

Coney Island - Wish You Were Here

A bloodshot sun is hanging heavy in the sultry sky. There is no better time to draw seasonal inspiration than during these lazy, crazy days of Summer.

With perfect timing our current Lunagirl Moonbeam Design Team Challenge is Retro Summertime. Although it's been cool and rainy here in Central Pennsylvania, we are now experiencing the heat and humidity of a typical Mid-July.

All of the Lunagirl images are so tempting, but as soon as I saw the group of lovely ladies enjoying a day at the beach I knew I found my inspiration. The lifesaver with the words "Wish You Were Here" said it all.

I was lucky to spend my childhood growing up in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, New York. Even though we spent our family vacations at Montauk, nothing says Summer to me more than Coney Island.  With just a subway ride away, it was the perfect place to find a bit respite from the city smothered in heat and humidity.

I couldn't wait to get started on the collage. I recently visited a local flea market and discovered a Coney Island souvenir postcard booklet. Printed in the late 1950's I knew it would be perfect for my mid-century inspired art. I chose to start using the cover with the image of the Parachute Jump.

The digital collage came together quickly, as I easily pulled images from my collection of ephemera. But the finishing touch was from another Lunagirl image. The handwritten message was to the point: "This is where you should be for that rest you need. It's grand down here."

And for me, reminiscing about Coney Island is where I should be. The memories are more than the subway rides, or peppers and egg sandwiches, or the cooling Atlantic renewing me with each wave. It is as much now as it was then, a time of sharing the joy of spontaneity with my family. It is reviving the gift of a magical childhood.

Where should you be?

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