Shadowblogger

Working on a return to updating this blog with regularity...

In the meantime, writing a novel in a month, teaching full time, painting the house...oh, the excuses are piling up!

Slipping in and out of fog

Isles of Shoals

I'm going to call this my "island tour" summer, as I seem to be working my way around all the islands I can get to. In a few weeks I'll be heading out for a week of paddling on the Maine Island Trail, and can't wait for more time to inhale the sea air and draw inspiration from the rocks and birds and waves. The other day I went out to the Isles of Shoals on the border between NH and Maine, and had a great few hours of being stranded on the island and left to wander around the remnants of the old village.

Here is a portion of a poem by Celia Thaxter, who lived and wrote on the islands in the mid-late 1800s...

THE SANDPIPER

Across the narrow beach we flit,

One little sandpiper and I,

And fast I gather, bit by bit,

The scattered driftwood bleached and dry.

The wild waves reach their hands for it,

The wild wind raves, the tide runs high,

As up and down the beach we flit,

-One little sandpiper and I.

Above our heads the sullen clouds

Scud black and swift across the sky;

Like silent ghosts in misty shrouds

Stand out the white lighthouses high.

Almost as far as eye can reach

I see the close-reefed vessels fly,

As fast we flit along the beach,

-One little sandpiper and I.

Nantucket

The first tomato

Most of our garden is a scraggly mess right now, half ruined by too much rain and too little sun. BUT, deep inside one of the most scraggly looking plants of all, I found this little green gem...perhaps all is not lost...

shipwrecked

Photo by SFD

Another Greyday

A Grey Day by William Vaughn Moody

Grey drizzling mists the moorlands drape,
Rain whitens the dead sea,
From headland dim to sullen cape
Grey sails creep wearily.
I know not how that merchantman
Has found the heart; but 'tis her plan
Seaward her endless course to shape.

Unreal as insects that appall
A drunkard's peevish brain,
O'er the grey deep the dories crawl,
Four-legged, with rowers twain:
Midgets and minims of the earth,
Across old ocean's vasty girth
Toiling--heroic, comical!

I wonder how that merchant's crew
Have ever found the will!
I wonder what the fishers do
To keep them toiling still!
I wonder how the heart of man
Has patience to live out its span,
Or wait until its dreams come true.

Inspiration: The sea

The Amazing Flying Blennies by Susan Carlson

Lately, there's been a bit of an ocean theme around here. In part, that's probably because it's summer and I'm spending a lot of time on and in the water, and in part because I've always loved the sea. This summer it started innocently enough with a few kayak trips, and a few seafood dinners, and now has infiltrated all of my art projects as well. And now, the inspiration posts seem to overflow with saltiness and finned creatures. Which brings me to these intricate quilts by Susan Carlson. I'm not a fabric artist, but if I were, I'd want to quilt the sea like this...

Age of Aqua-Wrasse by Susan Carlson

Check out more of her quilts here.

Eider Twilight

Photo by SFD

"Peacefully

The quiet stars came out, one after one;

The holy twilight fell upon the sea,

The summer day was done."

- Celia Thaxter

Going Coastal

I'm lucky enough to live close to the ocean, though the shores near me tend to be wooded slopes and seaweed encrusted rock rather than sandy beaches. I went north today, lured by the bright sky and the thought of wide blue seas. Today, cold New England resembled something out of the tropics, with deep blue and turquoise waters that rushed and frothed at the opening to the channel. My mother and I walked along a sandy spit, right to the edges of the sea. But the water was tropical in color only; average water temps are still in the high 40s/low 50s.

I love the way these rocks get tumbled smooth by the waves. There is something comforting about holding a sun-warmed rock in my hand, and running my fingers around its edges, smooth and round as eggs.

These gorgeous quahog shells were all over the beach. This one was larger than my hand. We left it there for others to enjoy...

After exploring the rest of the estuary, we headed home. Now, I'm back in my study, refreshed and ready to work on some more drawings. I have a lot of photos that will make great material for paintings and sketches, and I'm feeling energized by my exposure to the sea. Sometimes I think I have a bit of mermaid, or more likely selkie, in me. I'm never as happy as when I have salt on my skin and sand beneath my fingernails. I managed both today, and am ready to bring it to life on paper...