Behind the Wall

Everything you see in this ‘painting’ comes from the beach here at Seaside Park. It’s September, and the leaves are starting to fall. This picture captures the changing season. The blue and green of summer is turning to gold and silver. Falling leaves are beautiful to look at, even as they herald the coming dark. The beach in the fall is different. I suddenly realize how beautiful seaweed is.

The Path

This picture I made on the day my daughter’s divorce became official. I was at the beach when she called to tell me. I thought of the path of self-discovery she’s on. I had wanted to make a ‘path picture’ ever since our trip out to Santa Fe, where she and I had walked on a little stone path in a park downtown. I took a picture then, and it was in the back of my mind when I started collecting some of the amazing stones at Walnut Beach in Milford.

Santa Fe rock path

Ideas come from many places. There are patterns and textures everywhere, and I like to have my camera to capture them. With some luck, they’ll find their way into a painting down the road.

At the Beach’s End

I spend a lot of time at Seaside Park combing the beach. It’s relaxing, calming to my spirit, and a way to get out of the house and replenish my body’s store of vitamin D.

I’ve been combing the Seaside Park beach for the past year, but really got into it on an almost daily basis this summer. I’ve been collecting all kinds of rocks and shells, and now each visit something new catches my eye: a new kind of shell I hadn’t noticed before, another variation of seaweed, a rock of a certain shape or color, crab shells, driftwood, feathers, leaves. The repertoire is constantly expanding. Sometimes I wonder if it’s a new thing on the beach, or if I’m just becoming more observant.

This one was inspired by my new favorite local beach in Milford (see photo below). This beach is very different from the one in Bridgeport, with less shells and more stones, and the remnants of an old boardwalk that must have been wiped out in one of the big storms that hit here some years ago.

October beach

My second experiment with showcasing Walnut Beach rocks. This one started out as a matted frame which I decided to keep and use as part of the picture. Below is the background which is made of paper and has to be done before any of the stones are added.

The Beach Time clock below is one of the very few piece I’ve actually sold. It was set up as part of a show at an art fair in Litchfield, CT. I had dragged a LOT of my stuff there, and decided NEVER AGAIN because it was too much work. I made one sale in 7 or 8 hours, not to mention the packing, setting up, taking down, and driving over an hour to get there. So glad I got a picture. This was a favorite, and I would love to still have it on my wall.

Paper is another important medium I use.

For Eileen, Werking Woman

Check out some of my projects at  Making art with paper