It Happens Here: Scituate Nurse Creates Ocean-Inspired Art
SCITUATE (CBS) - This South Shore town is home to five beaches and two lighthouses. Minot Ledge, also known as "Lovers Ledge," has a 1-4-3 flashing light signal, locally referred to as "I love you." For Scituate resident Jenna Sammartino, there's a lot to love about this coastal community.
"I love the harbor, it's a really bustling place to go down and check out. At low tide it's kind of a magic place where there's just so much space and there's little tide pools," Sammartino told WBZ-TV.
When this mom of two isn't at her job as a Boston nurse, she's sailing with her family, or creating one-of-a-kind pieces of resin art in her Driftway Designs home studio. Sammartino learned to work with the material while making repairs on the family sailboat.
"You can actually take this medium that's used for home repairs and marine repairs and use it to make these beautiful pieces of art," Sammartino explained.
Inspired by the ocean, she adds blues, greens and whites to the epoxy resin mix. Each color is layered, blended and finished off with a heat gun, creating the rippling effect of ocean waves.
"They really look like an aerial view of the water crashing onto the shore," Sammartino said.
When the hospital floor Sammartino works on was converted to a COVID-19 unit, her home studio became a place where she could relax.
"It is a huge part of who I am. I love being a nurse and I'm proud of being a nurse. When COVID happened, it turned into kind of an escape for me. It was just an outlet for me to express some of my energy in a way that was productive and just so different," she said.
When Sammartino's designs are cured and ready, they come to local Minot store Board 143.
"They sell out instantly. People come in just to look at her boards, they are amazing," said co-owner Kerri Curreri.
"I want people to see it and remember something that makes them feel happy and remember a memory from the ocean or remember how calm they feel when they go to the beach. Or how humbled they feel when they go to the beach after a storm and they see the waves. The things that I make, I hope they are in people's homes for a long time," said Sammartino.
Driftway Designs are sold online or at Board 143, located at 776 Country Way, Scituate.
