Sunday 3 April 2011

Week 13





It has been a busy week for me, lots of things achieved.   I had a late start on the seashore page and I still have some finishing I would like to do.  It is a mixture of the objects I found  last week.   The huge crabs claw was washed up on this shore,  we would never see anything that size here but they do exist in the sea.  We  do see hundreds of  the tiny white crabs  mostly  through the summer  in pools of water. You can see  just how tiny it is,   just as I found it clinging onto the huge oak leaf.   An equally tiny and delicate find was this little shrimp case or body,  another creature, yet so fragile in this vast sea.   All  no doubt food for the birds.  I have been meaning to draw the whelks egg case which are often washed up on to the shore,  it seems appropriate as it is springtime,  so like frogspawn only solid and not a jelly.  Whelks are snails, not sure which snail would hatch  from this,  but I found a snail shell that same day to put in the drawing.  The two grey and white feathers lost from a bird probably whilst looking for food on the ground.   And finally the seaweed,  twisted and dry and brittle as it ends its life on the shore completes the page.
It is strange how these objects come together on the page.  I love the grey faded colours and the shape of the oak leaf when I found it on the sand with the little crab like a brooch pinned to it.
They are painted with the acrylic inks,   I need to buy some new ones as they are nearly used up.  The real objects are there to see and a little surprise, as I was  photographing  the sunlight caught a mirror and cast the rainbow across the page.

I walked the shore yesterday to collect for week 14 and shivered with the cold westerly wind and realised why I had the place to myself.  I had been working on this painting  and it was well  after six and getting near sunset.  This week has been cold and windy and although  the tides were not huge they have been quite rough.  A new tideline was visible in places  and it was still wet and slippery.  I walked for over an hour and saw how the new blades of grass are appearing through the sand.  It is a grass covered shore, in the past  the fine sea-washed turf was cut for gardens and cricket pitches or the like.  It always seemed to me more like vandalism to see all the lines of dirt as the land was stripped bare of the green grass,  but it does grows back so quickly and it was someones business selling it.    I noticed the acid yellow lichen on the lime stone  boulders,  used as a sea defence to prevent erosion and flooding,  were glowing in their circular patterns.  Perhaps it was the sun light, or is too starting to grow and glow with the springtime.  I remember I read this lichen  grows in places where the air is oxygen rich,  that suits me to know this as I see it growing here on the rocks on our shores.
My lonely swan disappeared from my  sight, to be found cuddled up under the banking safe from the cruel wind. She had chosen her place protected from the cold as she settled in for the night.  I saw bird foot prints but not another bird.  Just as I left  three loud sea gulls flew over the railway lines and onto the shore.  The sun was fading, as I too hurried home to the warmth, my bag of finds to be revealed next week.
Thank you for the lovely comments, as always it is a pleasure to read every comment and I appreciate your time spent doing so.   Hope you like the  drawings.
 Millyx       

19 comments:

Windsongs and Wordhoards said...

What a great page, you've really caught the fragility and delicacy of these objects... I always love the feathers, and the crabs claw is rather magnificent isn't it like a trophy out of the deep...
I like hearing about your friend the swan, she's getting to be quite a familiar figure in my imagining of your sea-swept shoreline...!

Melody said...

How interesting, i've never seen whelks egg casing before?? I think the very large shell with the twirly end i found on our beach is a whelk... i must look it up now. I love the little mini ghostly looking crab on the leaf... So many fascinating creatures out in that big ocean. Do you have horse shoe crabs there I wonder ~ sometimes i find miniature shells/bodies, the full size ones are just rather scary looking! Great drawing,great details, and lots of interesting things to admire! :)))

Flora Waycott Design said...

Hello Eileen,
I used to live with Jane in Winchester - I hope you remember me! I am just writing to say how beautiful your work is, so inspiring. I used to do heaps of nature illustrations when I was at college over 10 years ago, but stopped doing them as I searched for what it was I wanted to pursue creatively. You have inspired me to get back into my drawings and reminded me of how relaxing and enjoyable I found this. I love reading your posts and will keep checking regularly on what other gorgeous things you come up with!
Flora X X

Susan Scheid (Raining Acorns) said...

So lovely to see this tonight. The images are, as always, gorgeous, and the description of your walk is lovely, too.

Diana said...

how beautiful, Milly, I checked in earlier but came back just now. I've been painting more daffodils. I can't seem to get them out of my paintings right now!! haha.. I especially love the crab claw and little crab in this week .. your beautiful work brings wonderful thoughts of the sea. thank you, love,Diana

Pondside said...

Yes, I like the drawings, but I had never heard of a whelks egg case.
I'm enjoying this series, but find myself looking for a piece of sea glass - and there was the rainbow. It will do!

Jennifer Tetlow said...

Thank you for coming round to see me, and for your comments. So much of what you do is echoed in the way I work, acutely observing and then recording and interpreting nature the very best I can. You're inspiring. Do visit me again if you have time.

Frances said...

Week 13's collection has provided richly varied materials to inspire your talent, Milly! The natural objects are so different from each other, yet make a lovely, related composition on your page.

I continue to admire your color harmonies, which truely embrace your varied subject matter.

Your mentioning the sheltering swan reminds me that I have not seen swans over in the Central Park lake this year. I am going to try to take a walk there today, and perhaps will see them along with the ducks.

It is encouraging to hear that the lichen seems to be healthy.

Best wishes.

suz said...

Once again you've created a lovely page. I really look forward to see these each week.

Posie said...

Loved the beach walk with you Milly, I could picture it so perfectly from your words. It must have been odd to see grass being cut away from the beach,it would surely encourage erosion. Thankfully there are so many rules against this now. Love the pictures Milly, and last week's too, you capture it all so well. Glad the swan found shelter.

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Looking at your work makes me hanker to work in a more detailed way and to actually spend time drawing - because I hardly ever do.

A lovely mix, so well done as always. x

Tammie Lee said...

lovely details
sweet in the light you photographed even a rainbow...

martinealison said...

Tout d'abord merci pour ton gentil commentaire...
je pensais à toi la semaine dernière, car je dois me rendre chez ma fille et mon fils en Bretagne dans les jours prochains... Je sais que tu aimes fouiller et trouver comme moi pleins de petites choses sur la plage... et c'est ce que je vais faire...
Tu nous montres tant de belles choses et je te remercie de les partager avec nous. Tout est si délicat... bravo! bon travail...
Gros bisous Millie.

ellie said...

Beautiful, beautiful ! You have been so busy. Such delicate objects found on the shore, and lovely description of your walk XX

Mary said...

I so enjoy your shoreline walks, you describe it all so beautifully and make me want to be there.......despite the cold wind. It sounds quite dramatic, pushing along against the elements, then looking down on the sand and discovering such amazing castoffs deposited by the ever changing sea.
Beautiful page Eileen, thank you.
Hugs from wet but very green and blossom covered North Carolina - Mary

(Only a month to go now - don't forget to give me info. on which train to get Delila to etc.).

Claire said...

Enjoyed reading your post today and I so love the drawings - I must go and visit my local beach soon;oh loved the rainbow too x

Carol Creech said...

Oh, how interesting with the egg case and crab claw! Very cool. I love seeing what you find each week.
Carol

Dreaming Woods said...

Eileen, i could read whole book of your writings!! It is like i would be there in the shore with you, when i read these writings.

Delila

Radcliffe said...

Just discovered your site and your beautiful artwork. Hope you don't mind if I follow you, I want to see more of your beautiful paintings.