“The Storm” represents my contemplation on the human condition during the AIDS crisis. Each of these poor souls is stranded on the stump of the trees that have been cut down. The storms come in dark sheets, blackening the sky. The rains pour down, the water rises, the waves lap at the edges of each soul’s island.
I have used the metaphor of a Great Storm many times in the dreamscapes I have painted or drawn. As a boy in Miami, each hurricane I experienced was a reminder to me of how small we are on this planet. I have experienced flooding many times in all of my homes on South Beach, in Coral Gables, and South Miami. As a boy, I’ve even stepped out during the Eye of a hurricane with my brother to witness the massive spectacle with my own eyes..
I remember the tides as a boy growing up in South Beach. I’ve fished and sailed Biscayne Bay from one end to the other. The tides are much higher now. I was in Miami several times recently, and the high-tides are cresting the docks of many homes. I will be living in South Florida again soon. I will rent a place rather than purchase a home. I plan to get a boat.
The Storm, Jeffrey Wiener, 1993
