What do you take photos of when you go to the beach? Apart from selfies, there’s basically a whole lot of water, a whole lot of beach, and not much else. At one beach, an artist is making things a little more interesting.
India has some beautiful beaches.
Here’s a pic of Palolem Beach, in South Goa, India. It’s a gorgeous location, filled with smooth sand, picturesque rocks and stunning views of the Indian Ocean. It’s super popular on Instagram , too.
This graffiti artist has put a spin on things.
Jimmy Swift has done various artistic endeavours, but the stuff he’s done at Palolem Beach seems like it’ll soon become the stuff of legend — at least if Instagram travelers have anything to say about it.
He was inspired by the rocks in the area.
He turned one rock into something that looks just like a gigantic elephant emerging from the sand. I know that elephants don’t have hair, but the greenery up top actually looks pretty good.
It isn’t his only work, though.
Some of the protruding rocks at Palolem Beach have very distinctive profiles. Swift saw one such rock and decided he had to transform it. The incredible results speak for themselves.
We’re going to need a bigger boat.
There it is, in all its glory: the great white shark rock at Palolem Beach, courtesy of Jimmy Swift. The rock is shaped just like the shark’s head on the movie poster for Jaws .
It wasn’t easy.
If you live near a beach, you probably know that tides are a thing. And if you’re an artist, you probably know that water dilutes paint. Swift struggled with both of these as he painted the rock.
Tourists love it.
Instagram tags for Palolem Beach come in fast and furious all year round. But if you scroll through them, you can see that Swift’s shark rock has become the stuff of local legend.
Swift says it was the hardest thing he ever painted.
“I was literally beat up by the waves and rising tide and forced to stop before it was finished,” he wrote on Instagram. Even unfinished, the rock looks pretty impressive.
For a first try, it’s pretty impressive.
But like all artists, Swift will always be his biggest critic. That’s just the way it is for most creative people.
Finished, unfinished, who cares?
“I could have done better, but between the blowing sand and wind, splashing waves, burning hot sun and the fact I’ve never painted a shark before or painted on a 3-dimension surface like a rock…I think it turned out okay,” he wrote.
The paint is wearing away with time.
Swift has touched it up a few times, but paint will always lose its battle with the elements. Either way, Jaws’ teeth are still visible — and that’s all it really takes to draw in the tourists.
It was a match made in heaven.
“When I first saw this rock, it looked like a perfect place for a great white,” he wrote, describing the creative process. “Hopefully it doesn’t scare the !@$# out of people!”
Here’s the shark at low tide.
You can see how it would have been a challenge to paint the lower reaches of the rock, considering how much water is lapping in the area and how those areas will usually be obscured anyway.
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I might be a little disappointed to see it at low tide.
Not because it isn’t awesome, but because then I couldn’t make a pretend action shot.
Still, low tide really shows off the scale.
It’s easier to tell just how big the rock is when the base isn’t hidden in the waves. A human for scale makes it even clearer.
It’s an impressive sight amid the waves.
You just know that the shark rock stands out to make it the best meeting place at the Palolem Beach. “Meet me at the shark in fifteen minutes!”
Swift is proud of his creation.
This isn’t housed in a gallery somewhere, it’s out in the open for everyone to appreciate. Judging by Instagram and Facebook trends, everyone who chances across it absolutely appreciates it.
Swift loves how popular it has become.
He told Bored Panda, “I think my favorite thing about public art is the impact it can have on people. You never know what one of your creations will bring to others. Some people might find it cute and something you take a selfie in front of and for others it might open up a deeper feeling within.”
Every beach needs one of these.
If you want to keep up with what Jimmy Swift is up to, make sure to check out his Facebook , Instagram or official site ! Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
