On the Beach

Cheryl and I walked the beach a couple of times looking for treasures. She was looking for shells and beach glass. I was looking for animal life - I wanted to sketch a crab. I found several crabs but they weren't in one piece...it would just be the back, or a few of the legs, but never a whole crab all together. We found lots of kelp and seaweed and rocks of all shapes, colors and sizes.

I picked up a rock with barnacles growing on it and some yellow quartz-like rocks. Cheryl found some little shells and pieces of shells and a small piece of beach glass. We took our treasures back inside and while she watched TV one evening, I sketched our treasures.

The next morning at a very low tide I went out for a walk before Cheryl got up. She stays up late and gets up late. I have been converted to a morning person by my husband several years ago. I used to be just like Cheryl, but Tim is on the opposite end and now I go to bed early and get up early....it really is beautiful out in the early morning air.

I found twenty or more little whole crabs. When they die they get washed up on shore but the rocks break them up or the seagulls pull them apart. Since the tide was so low they were just hitting sand and weren't all broken apart. I staged one to take his picture. I'll be painting him in watercolor sometime this week. I love the orange/peach/salmon color of their shells.

There was a line of seagulls just waiting on a little point of sand plucking little bits of goodies out of the incoming tide. Have you seen the movie Nemo? I was reminded of the scene where the seagulls are all flying like divebombers chasing Nemo who is riding in the pelican's mouth screaming, "me, me, me, me, me, me!"

Besides beachcombing, we spent hours looking through art galleries and shops. Cheryl likes to "support the arts" as I call it. She spent money at almost every shop we entered. She purchased some bath salts, art prints, books, jewelry, shoes, a leather purse, baking sheet, and much more. I purchased one thing...a cast iron bell with a black bear shape on top. I'm planning to take it to the cabin so I can ring the bell and call Tim to dinner when he's over at our other cabin.

The highlight of the trip for me was on the last day I got to meet Leslie Klaar who creates jewelry, paints with watercolor, creates collages, etc. Her husband is a knife maker and together they had two little shops on the Homer Spit. She was working the counter and was very open about her art process, how she makes herself get work done, how she develops her watercolors, etc. I found her fascinating and inspirational. She said her mother-in-law, who is also an artist, told her one time that selling art is 5% talent and 95% persistance. I think I agree. I know I have some talent, but it's the persistance part that holds me back.

Leslie told me that she makes herself spend some time every day on art of some sort. She may string some beads for earrings, sketch out a picture for a watercolor, do some of her business office work, etc. Another hint she told me is to paint two or three watercolors at a time. That way you aren't getting frustrated waiting for paint to dry in-between layers. And you aren't as emotionally vested in it. When it goes bad (which mine often do) she says you still have two others to pull you through. It's easier to let that one go, and continue working the other two. She said that sometimes only 1 of her 3 will turn out well. Then she can scrap the other two, or take pieces from them for something else. It was encouraging to hear from this artist who is very successful that she has failures too.

I'm planning to write her a little note and thank her for taking the time to talk....and send her some of my cards and see if she will display them in her shop. Wish me luck!