sea shore still life

Seashell still life on the seashore here in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.  Included are clams, mussels, periwinkles, a bottle cap, a crab and sea tumbled rocks.  This was illustrated on the back of an index card...hence the red stripe bleeding through on the left side of the art.

I have lived here for more than four years now and I am still in awe of the natural beauty of the woods and waterways of Buzzards Bay.  Such a beautiful area of the world.

Fifty-one years ago I was born and then adopted in Boston.  Six years ago I found my birth mother, a wonderful and beautiful lady whom I love very much.  It turns out that my ancestors have been living on Cape Cod, in the village of Buzzards Bay for many generations (back to the Crossing Of The Pond in 1634).  I was unexplainably drawn to the area and could not leave during an unstable time in my life.  On my own, I have settled here and absolutely love it.  Over time I have discovered my family roots and the strong bond to this area.  It is indeed a special and magical place to Be.

The beaches are chalk-full of shellfish and fish.  The water is always cold...refreshing.  During the summer the beaches are full of tourists.  When the tide is changing, people flock by foot and boat to harvest the shellfish, which are incredibly prolific.  This year I bought a fishing permit, and plan to get a somewhat expensive shellfish license.  In the long run, a year-long $35 shellfish permit is much less expensive compared to a dinner in restaurants.  So much gratification with making a seafood meal on your own.

I tend to eat some of these straight from the waters.  The little periwinkles, the oysters and clams are so tasty when plucked from the waters and eaten right there.  Briny and fresh and delightfully flavorful they are.  A real treat they are.

beach house trio

Foreshadowing of the seasons to come.
3x5" min-art.

a dream of springtime

Yesterday on Cape Cod came several more inches of snow.  Last night I dreamt of bright green springtime amongst patches of heavy winter snow.  Two distinct seasons of the year in one landscape.

New England snow globe

Wind and snow, and then more snow and wind.  Not that it matters too much more than a hill of Boston baked beans, but this wickedly wild winter weather does in fact extend beyond the Boston city limits.  Cape Cod is only about fifty miles away.  I love this extreme winter weather!

a drawn bridge

A visual pun.

Watercolor, color pencil and brush pen on watercolor paper.  9x9"

Winter Storm Juno

Yesterday, in the midst of winter storm Juno, I trekked the 4 blocks to the beach.  This was before the snowplows could clear the roads, so it took about half an hour to get there with the snow up at my thighs.  The wind gusts were at least 60 m.p.h. while the snow blew sideways.  I love extreme winter weather like this!

Electric Avenue beach on Buttermilk Bay in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

a box of rocks

Rocks from the shoreline.

Being on the beach always inspires beach and ocean art.  There are so many wonderful places and things to explore along the shoreline.  There are edible shellfish and seaweed that can be plucked and eaten immediately.  Others are taken home and steamed to perfection.  Edible art inspirations.

watercolor, color pencil and ink.  5x7"

Main Street

This time of year, recreational boating season is finished.  Here in Buzzards Bay, there have been plenty of boats going up and down Main Street, heading to their winter storage places.  As a boating enthusiast, it's always interesting to watch them parading around town.

miles of inlanders at the beach

I am re-reading Moby Dick by Herman Melville.  It's appropriate reading now for being in his territory.  Here is a quote that made me laugh.  It's oh-so-true.

But look!  Here come the crowds, pacing straight for a dive. Strange!  Nothing will content them but the extremest limit of the lande; loitering under the shady lee of yonder warehouses will not sufice.  No.  The must get just as nigh the water as they possibly can without falling in.  And there they stand - miles of them- leagues.  Inlanders, all, they come from lanes and alleys, streets and avenues - north, east, south, and west.  Yet here they all unite.  Tell me, does the magnetic virtue of the needles of the compasses of all the ships attract them hither?

Scusset Beach

Rough seas on Cape Cod Bay.

salt marsh bird houses

Cape Cod birdhouses in the salt marshes of Yarmouth. Ink and crayon.

salt marsh, Cape Cod

Just for fun last week, I randomly selected an address on my G.P.S. Such a gorgeous location! I love the islands of tall grasses, occasionally interrupted by deep blue tidal pools. On the horizon is the Atlantic Ocean. I really love the natural beauty of Cape Cod.

frozen Salem Harbor

The seagulls lay on top of the shallow, frozen harbor.

Salem Harbor

A tall ship beyond the bank of snow. Salem, Massachusetts.

closed for the season

Rockport, Massachusetts.

The Clam Box

Ipswich, Massachusetts. The best darn fried clams anywhere!

fishbowl

For more than 30 years I have boated, fished, swam, and explored the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is tragic.

Some of the fishes of the Gulf of Mexico include Bonita, Spanish mackerel, blacktip shark, speckled trout, sand trout, kingfish, redfish, gaftop catfish, vermillion snapper, grouper, croaker, ladyfish, skipjack, rockfish, sand trout, wahoo, barracuda, cobia ling, sheepshead, sand shark, pilot fish, dorado dolphin, pompano, yellow fin tuna, tiger shark, flying fish, mullet, snook, nurse shark, red snapper, pinfish, sunfish, blowfish, ribbonfish, flounder, sail fish, jackfish, black drum, white drum, tarpon, marlin, manatee, sea lion, porpoise, sea turtle.

New Bedford, Massachusetts

Nine years ago I read the Moby Dick novel with rie Anderson performed her multi-media "Songs and Stories of Moby Dick", I attended not once, but twice. First was the kick-off of the tour in Dallas. Months later, a friend and I flew to New York for the final night's performance of the tour. I was hooked on reading about the great whaling era in New England.

So on a recent visit to New Bedford, I could really feel the history of the town. I've dreamt about it too. Ahoy there, Matey!

If you're curious, have a look at Laurie Anderson's website. She has been an ongoing creative inspiration to me for many years.

earth oil

I drew this several months ago but decided I didn't like it. I still don't like it but it looks like a situation we're faced with in the Gulf of Mexico. And possibly beyond.