Collected Treasures, Collected Memories

One of my favourite destinations is a visit to the beach. It has always been one of my sanctuaries. Where I like to go to think.  The sound of the waves, the salty smells and the scenery are very much healing.  I make sure that I take time to absorb all of it. I love to experience the beach fully – it’s such a refresh for my soul and senses. Interesting enough this absorption happens naturally when painting en Plein Air as you are totally absorbed in the moment.

I really don’t head to a beach planning to collect anything other than photos but somehow some things keep finding their way into my pockets. They simply speak to me and I just pick them up. Usually I come home with a few treasures – mussel shells, little white rocks, moon snails, some with broken fragments that have enough curve or shimmer to catch my eye.

When you know…

Over time they’ve become a treasured sort of collection.  I have them displayed in tall glass jars and a clear plastic case that I was given years ago. I always knew that one day they would appear in a painting. There is no way I could resist those subtle colours – how a bit of sea-polished blue could suddenly become captivating, even intimate.

There’s something meditative about viewing at them under the light and really looking. The ridges, the faint pinks and blues, the wear from the waves—it all tells a story. I took them outside my studio to look at them in the sunlight. Then I sprayed them with water to tease out their colours and add delightful little sun spots.  I gently dropped them onto a surface and then moved them around until I was happy with the “natural” arrangement – I was looking for a kind of accidental balance.

These paintings are clusters of shells, arranged like old friends and painted almost like portraits. They speak to me. Not loudly, more like a whisper. Treasures from the beach that were worn smooth by waves and sand. Painting them feels like painting that stillness.

Layering on the love

And painting shells is much slower than you would think. I tried not to rush the process. I applied thin layers of transparent glazes to allow my initial base layers show through, giving the shells depth. I made the decision to paint these on slick gessobord with acrylics to support the layering process that would not really be achievable on canvas.

There’s subtlety in those shells, faint colour shifts, elegant curves, irregular edges and the memories. I found myself smiling as the details started to emerge during the painting process. I’m not gonna lie, this kind of detail work really makes me happy!

These two paintings are a tribute to my collected treasures

These aren’t just studies in form and shapes. They’re quiet paintings. Each shell an individual. For me, they hold the feeling of a walk by the sea – that barefoot feeling of grounding on a beach walk and finding something small and beautiful exactly when you needed it. A way to say I was here. I felt this.

Do you collect anything that finds its way into your creative life?

Shells are enormously important and on repeat in my art practice. Both Tidal Treasures and Gathered by the Tide are recently completed paintings. Can you tell that I am preparing for a show? For more information on “It’s a Shore Thing” Art Exhibit with Dale Cook click here

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