Ricardo Romero Cortez Duque

After the Tide Let Go / 36×48” / acrylic on canvas

The story begins in the aftermath, when the sea has loosened its grip. The water lies in broad, quiet planes of blue and gray, textured with the slow evidence of motion that has already passed. Small traces—darkened flecks, softened lines—hint at what the tide once carried and chose not to keep.

The horizon is subdued, almost dissolving into the sky, as if the boundary between here and beyond has grown less important. Above it, the clouds hang lightly, pale and reflective, offering no urgency—only space to recover.

After the Tide Let Go is a story about release without erasure. It speaks to the moments when intensity recedes, leaving behind clarity rather than emptiness. The painting holds that gentle return to balance, where the world feels open, steady, and quietly renewed.