Monday, September 16, 2013

Beach combing

Charcoal and pastel on paper/c. 18" x 24"
On the few occasions in July and August I walked the stretch of beach I am most familiar with, I was rewarded with several finds like the one represented above.  Although I've come across similar shells, I always seem to feel as if I've discovered something unique and special each time I have the luck to find one almost intact.  Are these almost whole things picked up off a rocky stretch of seashore a metaphor for a life lived, a period of time, the past or the future? 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

This is a really beautiful piece. I think those broken shells and washed up treasures on the beach are each a metaphor with a message for us, but they are also a testament to the enduring quality of each and every being and how nothing exists in isolation, but is part of an interdependent cycle. What the shell once was, what it is now, and what it will become... it always holds its special place in the universe forever. That's pretty cool when you think about it! Those kind of subjects make great drawings and paintings too!

Robert Mace Bent said...

Thanks, Katherine. I think about that (interdependence, isolation, cycles) lots. I was hesitant to write this post and delighted it elicited a response!