where vegetables come from

Canned, or frozen vegetables?  Oh right...they come from plants!  Don't forget to remember this fact.  The joys of gardening.

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.

woodland flowers

Lillies of the Valley and woodland Violets.  They smell so wonderful and they are everywhere.

I finally got a new Moleskine brand sketchbook. I just love these little books.  The paper is thick and buttery smooth.  The size is perfect, 5.5 x 7".  These pages will inspire me to make more art.  It's like reuniting with an old friend.

blue sky

Blooming flowers are everywhere!

April showers

Now is when the trees and flowers begin to bud in southeast Massachusetts.

beach house trio

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

Ramen boil

Faber-Castell black ink on plain ol' print paper.  5x7" on 8x10" paper.  Brain tune-up art.

loads of snow and lots of ice

 It's the beginning of March.  Still, there is snow piled on top of snow.  Hard-packed layers that will take much time and plenty of warm weather to melt.

Deep snow.  I love the marshmallow shapes  created both by wind and snow plows.

The temperatures alternate between above and below the freezing mark.  Some of the snow has melted, but colder weather comes back.  Now there are big patches of slippery, shiny ice.  Battles which will inevitably lead to the death of winter into new energy and growth from the strength and warmth of the sun.

 I love the energies of nature.   I rarely venture out without my camera.  It's an obsession of many years.  I must have a gazillion photos that no one ever seen.  Photography is the anatomy of composition that expresses the beauty of this world.

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.