{"id":762,"date":"2026-07-15T14:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbpohlman.com\/?p=762"},"modified":"2026-07-15T14:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:32:14","slug":"the-moment-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbpohlman.com\/?p=762","title":{"rendered":"The Moment Before"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Moment Before – SB Pohlman – 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It was a thick, humid night in Philadelphia late in the aughts.  One of the nights that doesn’t seem to give an inch of relief even at 2 am.  I was biking back home along the Schuylkill River from South Philly – a 40 minute ride in the dark when the bike path was gloriously free of pedestrians.  As I turned the corner and approached the fountain, shimmering like a mirage, I had no choice but to drop my bike and jump into the cerulean water, clothes and all.  It was hands-down one of the most refreshing swims of my life, the Nymph Holding a Bittern statue gazing down at me.  It was a glorious, pinnacle moment, just before the night took a turn, and I flew over the handlebars of my bike onto the pavement.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I lived. There was an ambulance ride I didn’t want to take.\u00a0 A pool of blood on the concrete. My head was stapled and concussed.\u00a0 But I often wonder, if I hadn’t taken that moment to swim in the fountain, would I have biked home safely?\u00a0 Life often seems to shake me up a bit when I’m having too much fun. Like a reminder not to get too comfortable. A gentle reprimand from the Nymph to stay out of her pristine waters? Or an arbitrary twist of fate.\u00a0 If given that moment back, I would spend longer in the fountain.\u00a0 And perhaps, I\u2019d wear a helmet when I got back on my bike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special thanks to Jenny and Gia for asking me to tell my \u201cstories.\u201d I don’t think I would have recalled the memory that inspired this painting if they hadn’t kept prompting me and encouraging me to share the tea. This was a blast to research and paint. More info on the fountain can be found at: https:\/\/www.schuylkillbanks.org\/blog\/allegory-schuylkill-river-water-nymph-and-bittern<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Moment Before
Acrylic on Canvas
40 x 30 in
7\/2026
$1200<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was a thick, humid night in Philadelphia late in the aughts.  One of the nights that doesn’t seem to give an inch of relief even at 2 am.  I was biking back home along the Schuylkill River from South Philly – a 40 minute ride in the dark when the bike path was gloriously … <\/p>\n

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