Monday, February 9, 2015

Beach Thoughts

We've been back from our southern vacation for a few days now.  Just long enough to get back into the swing of things. 
I really miss my studio when I'm away. Every year I come up with a new plan on how I'm going to spend the 6 weeks immersed in paint, and each plan fails. The truth is, I'm a studio artist, I started 4 paintings while we were away this year, but with out the room to work I  end up outside, where the bugs and sand find their way into the paint, mixed media lol. 
So instead I fill my sketch book and walk the beach. 
I've got a good start on turning the first of those sketches into a painting. 
This is the lay out and under painting, with the first bit of texture layering. 
So, what did I learn beach walking, and people watching?
Beach combers are like art patrons.
At the beginning, they're pretty indiscriminate. They pick up any and everything pretty. 
By their second or third snowbird vacation (art show/gallery shopping trip), they start to specialize. They know this trip isn't a one time thing, and they aren't going to pick up any old thing just because it's pretty. 
A popular specialty is sharks teeth. The problem with this is there are lots of shells , but not many teeth. Complicating things farther, lots of shell bits and debris look like teeth until you examine them closely. So the genuine article can be missed if your not willing to bend over and really look. 
It also takes an 'eye' to find them. Most people walk right over top of them with out noticing what's right under their feet, so having a mentor show you what to look for helps a lot.
Also the best ones are often outside of the most searched areas, you need to be willing to search them out and take a few risks. 
Next time: what searching for sharks teeth taught me about artists. 


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