Labor Day by Mark Pugh

There is a Ray Bradbury short story called The Lake, where a man recounts an experience he had as a child when his best friend, a girl named Tally, drowns. This happens at the end of the season just as summer turns to fall. Since Labor Day usually marks the recreational end of summer, and falls smack in the middle of hurricane season (hinted at on the newspaper boat), this indicates the end of pleasant times, the beginning of darker, colder days. The stormy waves above contrast the peaceful waters below. The painting represents that moment that marks the end of childhood (summer) and the beginning of adulthood (autumn).