Beach Day

Beach Day, mixed media on canvas, 10”x10”

I still keep coming up with ideas I wish I had thought of for the 2011 Project.  This is one of those examples.  I did use some sandpaper in one of the pieces, but I hadn’t thought of encrusting the edges of the canvas in sand as I did with this piece for my upcoming installation.

I added the sand and some sandpaper because I knew that Beach Day needed more than vintage postcards of beach scenes.  The cards have beach scenes from Florida to California with a heavy dose of Cape Cod including Kalmus Beach.  Kalmus is a beach I grew up near in Hyannis, named for Herbert Kalmus who donated the land.  He was also the inventor of Technicolor.  While a motion picture film process, where would the sky in old postcards be without the influence of Technicolor?  Beach Day itself refers to a certain type of summer day, when the weather is just right, and it’s a perfect time to go to the beach.  If you live near a beach, you know….

Prints of this piece are available from Society 6.

January 8, 2011 – Tactile Art

When we go look at art and galleries we sometimes have to control our impulses to touch the work. It’s not always easy, and we’ve all probably seen someone break the rules and touch the art. While I wouldn’t want people just pawing my work either, I do sympathize. I like finishing my map pieces with a thick coat of acrylic varnish, which gives them a good deal of protection. I also like to make some pieces that are just meant to be touched. One medium I haven’t used in a while is sandpaper. Not sandpaper as a tool, which I use at times, but sandpaper as part of the work.

This cold, gloomy winter weather is making me think about a winter trip to Death Valley. I usually go every year. The rocks, the layers, the canyons all inspire my work. I am ready for the big ride and a few days of taking photos to paint from.