Distant Shores

This seascape was painted by my father, Clelland "Spike" Nail sometime in the late 1950's. Dad worked at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Livermore, California. He was often gone for several weeks at a time, working on the atomic bomb tests in Nevada and the south Pacific islands. For solace, in his spare time he roamed the deserts, the beaches and jungles, and painted watercolors of what he saw. What a treat it was when he sent these paintings home in the mail!

Eventually his conscience would not let him remain on this job. He quit in the late sixties and spent the rest of his life working for the cause of nuclear disarmament. As a family this meant a drastic adjustment in economic status but we didn't mind.

We miss you dad. Your work is not forgotten, including this work, which is now framed and hangs above my piano.