Following the Tide.

I really love wandering along the shore and scanning the ground and the sand banks to see what I can find. Of course it reflects the time of year with so many wind blown natural objects all mixed up with the sea treasures. After a high tide I collected a bag of finds. It has taken me a long time to finally complete this in the wide landscape A3 sketch book.

A delicate piece of seaweed and a leaf, my hand armed with a fine sable brush as I slowly strive to capture them. The leaf was totally dry and curled up by the next morning and reminded me of why I am happy to spend the time meticulously recording all the detail.

Then I added the rusty brown seaweed with the fat bubbles and a black sycamore seed. They always fascinate me, how something so delicate can survive this environment.

The second page links in with every red berry I found that day. They were in different states of repair, but I like to record that. No longer the perfect bright red berries they once were. Now damaged, wrinkled, some rotting and with blackened skins. But hopefully the tree has sown the seeds.

The mussel shell with so many tints of pale colours was fun to try and capture. I remember picking it up from the muddy sand, half buried, my finger rubbing and poking the wet sand from out of the shell to see the inside. I am pleased to call it finished, a memory of that day.

Another walk on the shore last Saturday had me once again collecting some bits and pieces. The tide had just gone down, it was very very muddy. My footprints sunk down into the soft squelchy slippery sand. I found pretty pink shells, leaves and seaweeds in tiny pools of water. The sand was covered with rippled patterns and I became a child again, lost in the wonder of this place. It felt like every minute was precious in the fading light.

Collecting treasures from the sand I am not sure what I have until I get home and wash and sort my bag of finds. Look at the colours and patterns of the bright pink feathery seaweed. Tiny pink shells and seeds and leaves scattered on the sand. I found different coloured mermaids purses and a papery thin Honesty seedhead. A piece of Seaweed covered in barnacles, a green twirling species I had not found before and so many blackened leaves.

We watched a fisherman with his young son pull three flukes from a line. The young boy was delighted with his fish, knee deep in mud and oblivious to the state of his clothes, having such a good time. The birds were also finding food from these mud flats. The geese were there and two white Egrets were an added bonus and added interest to the day. I guess I found food for my soul just being there.

And as the sun sets so early in the afternoon we made our way home quietly enjoying the last light of the day.

I washed my finds and sorted them out. It was the green seedweed that gently rocked and moved in the water that caught my eye and I immediately sketched it.

I managed to start the painting of it that same night and added more on Sunday trying to capture what I saw. Almost finished now.

 

The seashore holds such fascination. Every day it changes and we have been lucky to have such mild weather for this time of the year. Beautiful days and amazing coloured sunsets, there for us to gaze at, before we are quickly plunged into darkness around 4pm.

 

I hope you enjoyed visiting and seeing my seashore drawings and photographs. A big thank you for the comments which I love to read. See you soon. Millyx

The lovely Saturday afternoon mud flat images were taken by my husband and the rest by me on my iPad. Thank you for visiting. Hope you are still enjoying some fine sunny days. Anita , seen the weather in Michigan, deep snow! Keep warm.