Bringing Back an Indian Summer Day

A month ago today.... fun in the sun.

This is a plein air entry into my water-themed Stillman and Birn Beta journal.

Watercolors, waterbrush, micron pen.

Back home from down under-Concetta Flore

It's a bit late for Xmas greetings...but here it is, it's ages since I popped in for a visit! Having spent 3 weeks in New Zealand you would think I'd be packed full of sketches and drawings.That's what I hoped for... No way. Being constantly on the move is contrary to sitting down and drawing.
So here is a beautiful beach in a cast-over day where I managed to sit down and get some colour in. The overhanging tree is a pohutukawa; it has rich red flowers at this time of year, sprawling contorted branches ,and leaves like those of an ilex (Quercus ilex).

What most impressed me of New Zealand is the fight the Dept of Conservation and hundreds of volunteers are leading to contain damage and pests and restore, where possible, native plants and birds.
It's an immense laboratory where settlers have ruthlessly cleared the landscape and changed it dramatically, but where native forests are protected and/or coming back in Parks and reserves, scattered in every area of the country.

If the battle is won, in 20 years there will be native birdsong back in the "bush" ( a real jungle), which is rather silent even though I visited in spring.
This visit gave me a lot to think about.
In this sense it's really "middle earth", suspended between the risk of total loss of local biodiversity and superb, unique species to be preserved for future generations.

Wishing all of you, and Kiwis, to win your battles and restore richness and diversity within yourself!

A visit to the beach in Adelaide, Australia: Alissa Duke

 I spent the weekend in Adelaide, South Australia for a seminar . I had some free time before 9am and walked  a few blocks to the beach. I did a small sketch at the beach, before it started to rain lightly. That is not so great with watercolour pencils and paper.

So I stopped drawing and walked down onto the beach and collected some shells. It is amazing that different beaches can produce new and exciting shells. I only had  about half an hour to spare, but could have spent all morning there. I put the shells in my sunglasses case, as it as the only place I could think to store them !

I think the bit and pieces of shells and stones are more interesting as the perfect shells that I used to look for on the beach when I was little. I have been drawing these shells back home in Sydney this week and there are a few more to sketch.

A New Arrival

Click to enlarge

Quite a treat at the beach yesterday. According to the regulars that walk the beach, this tree washed up overnight during the spring tide of January's Full Moon.

The east coast shoreline is always in constant flux. On Hilton Head Island the beach erodes on the north end and the south end gains beach. 

Just south of Charleston, South Carolina, there is a plantation that's now wildlife management area called Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve. It has 4,687 acres and part of it runs along the Atlantic ocean. It recently opened to the public in 2008 and we've only just begun to explore this treasure. 

I mention this place because along the plantation's shoreline there are many dead trees that protrude out of the sand. Land that's been reclaimed by the sea.  It's eerie and fascinatingly beautiful at the same time. I was thinking that it's totally possible that this tree traveled the tides from Botany Bay down to our beach on Hilton Head Island.  What stories this beauty of a tree could tell!

driftwood sculptures-Concetta Flore

There is a beach in Tuscan region of Maremma, where big pine tree trunks are scattered about, bleached by the sun, scorched to the bone by the sea. The place is called "Skeleton beach" and people have the tradition of standing up the trunks like totems, when feasible, or buiding teepees or other creative compositions with them. Its fun to see how they acquire a new position and, therefore, a meaning. Sometimes its truly fascinating how casual and intentional compositions bond together.
The first watercolour was done near sunset; the second was a charcoal sketch that I coloured later. I think the contorted root attracted my upset mind, since I'd just busted my camera, for good. Sand...is dangerous!

 

LaBrea and the Beach

LaBrea and the Beach, originally uploaded by Cathy (Kate) Johnson.

Every time we go to the LA area, I need to see the tar pits. I've always loved prehistory and history, and fossils, bones, geology...this is a fascinating place.

Next time I need to take a folding stool so I can sit where I haven't sketched before. They have benches, but they're fixed, of course!

And then, of course, NEED THE BEACH.

I lost some of my little goodies from the beach, but at least these made it home with me and got added later...

Lapwings and Plovers

I braved the wind and rain for a short while yesterday and visited one of my local birding areas, just a couple of minutes from home. A large mixed flock of Lapwing and Golden Plover were just above the beach on a muddy inlet and I couldn't resist trying to get some of them down on paper. Not the best sketch I ever did, but given the conditions, I wont be too critical.

Botany Bay Beach - Pam Johnson Brickell

Botany Bay Beach
Originally uploaded by PJBee

Rob and I finally made it up to Botany Bay WMA. Here's a quick plein air sketch of the beach area we could get to. The tide was high and it just turned. Wind very strong. The air was hazy and sky mostly gray. The hurricanes off the coast are really affecting the ocean.

I hope to finish my journal pages this week and blog about this amazing place.

A week at the beach

Here are two quick sketches I did at Avoca Beach earlier in the month. There is nothing like sitting out in the fresh sea air to sketch....

Sundown over the Sea Oats

Sundown over the Sea Oats
Originally uploaded by linfrye

Daily Practice
Journal

My workday ended very late last evening and so I arrived at the B&B pretty tired. I splashed around a bit of paint with unsuccessful results, and hoped that today was much shorter.

This was sketched from a photo reference over the weekend, and to me represents all that I love about the beach ... beautiful wide open skies, the dancing of sea oats, the sandy dunes.... Though I didn't paint them in, a few sea gull would be nice as I 'hear' them whenever I think of the ocean. And oh, can I smell that salt air!

At my own home, 200 miles from the beach, I've grown RIVER oats - similiar in form and structure but a different species. River oats are found in the natural areas around fresh water - such as creeks, streams and rivers. Their seed heads aren't as full as sea oats, but like the sea oats, both hold down the soil and help with erosion. My river oats tend to be a bit 'weedy' in that they propagate freely around the garden and the birds seem to enjoy the seeds ... that is, when the cats arent' chasing them!

Our rain has stopped and we're expecting hot temperatures again. The weeds are having their way again - encouraged by the rain and the humidity ... sigh. Sure makes me wonder WHY we just don't ENJOY them instead of trying to control the nuisances! LOL (Don't let my green industry members hear me even THINK that! LOL)

Have a great day!

Lin Frye

North Carolina