Beach week!

I didn’t get a lot of art done this week, but I got a lot of art thinking done. That translates into developing ideas for pieces and planning how to execute them. The location had a lot to do with that—my family spent the week on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I feel completely rejuvenated after a week of sand and sun! I took a lot of pictures of the waves, surf and sand to help jog my memory as I get back to work. I also did some material acquisition, collecting shells with holes in them from the beach. That happens to be one of Tommie’s favorite activities. We planned our mornings around low tide when the best collecting occurs. After one night of thunderstorms and wind we found a treasure trove of collected shells, sand dollars and beach glass just under the surface. What a haul I made for a few beach-themed weavings! Unfortunately, we packed so much stuff in our suitcases on the trip out that we didn’t have any weight to spare for packing shells. Fortunately, the post office has big boxes, and ‘if it fits, it ships’. About five days of beach treasures fits, along with a pair of jeans and some leftover rice to fill in the cracks. I’ll look for that to arrive on Tuesday.

Most of the week was spent in rejuvenation mode after a long winter of doing commissions. That meant eating fresh seafood as often as possible. We had fresh flounder, tuna, mahi mahi, and mako shark, plus a small black drum that Tommie caught. The shark was the surprise meal of the trip. Its texture was distinct from most fish and its flavor was mild and delectable. Along the boardwalk to the beach we found wild blackberries ripening nicely in the sandy soil. Tommie took the lead in berry collection and by the end of the week we had enough for Jim to bake a nice pie. Warm from the oven and paired with caramel frozen yogurt it was delightful. It was worth every bite, but I can’t wait to get back to Zumba in the mornings!

My family found lots of activities to keep them busy. The ocean was the major attraction. Jacob was the boogie board champion, riding the breaking surf all the way up onto the beach. He named his board ‘dragon slicer’, and they were together at every possible opportunity. Tommie got a board too, but decided he’d rather body surf. That left the second board to Jim, and he and the boys spent a lot of quality time riding the waves. The only downside was the ocean temperature on most days. It was occasionally so cold on that I couldn’t get much past my ankles, which made me the beach documentarian. On a few days I did swim, and it was wonderful to be in the ocean and feel the power of the surf. Besides the beach, we went to Jockey’s Ridge State Park where we hiked to the top of a few huge sand dunes. Jim and I sat and had pleasant conversation while the boys rolled down the steep dunes. We enjoyed the panoramic view of both the ocean and the sound while the boys ran up and down and finally buried each other in the dunes. The discomfort of having sand in your hair was removed by a stop at Logan’s ice cream in Nags Head.

The return to Bloomington means the return to art. The upcoming weekend (June 3-5) I’ll be in Columbus Ohio for the Columbus Arts Festival. I’m scrambling to finish a new piece before I go. This year I’d like to avoid the severe thunderstorms that trapped me in my booth for a while. I hope to see you there!

Until next week…

Martina Celerin

Sally sells sea shells...

This week I was thinking about the beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My family and I spent a week on the beach in Corolla last summer. Of course that means that we spent a lot of time walking the sands and looking for treasures. Jim and I strolled along the beach on the packed wet sand while the boys acted more like the ‘runny birds’ that cruise in and out with the surf. They both make the best advantage of short legs and abundant energy. A few essential seashells, sand dollars, or manta ray egg casings just had to come back to the house on each trip. Of course a little sand comes back with them too. I’m guessing they must send bad vacuum cleaners to beach houses for punishment.

So of course you know where this is headed—I need to make an art piece! I’m not sure people know how much my art really reflects my life. I poured out all the jars, bags and boxes of shells and beach things I’ve collected. The inventory also includes lots of beach materials that friends have given me through the years. I tried a few layouts to see what I liked, but ultimately I realized I liked them best just mixed together in a big bowl! I finished a custom frame built for me locally by Tom Bertolacini by creating a sandy beach finish of layered glue and sand. I reinforced the landscape frame with steel strips I found for 75 cents at the Re-Store. This is another great Bloomington resource, located in the old Honda emporium on 11th Street, which sells surplus building supplies and uses it’s profits to fund Habitat for Humanity projects. It’s how I imagine Menards would be if Jimmy Carter ran it. I also picked up a cool low wooden stool with a fabric seat that’s perfect for elevating me a bit while I’m weaving.
This week I was also volunteering at Roger’s school in the Creek-Love classroom. We created a weaving of an ocean out of blue “yarns”, most of which comprises old blue neckties from Opportunity House. I guess all those Father’s day presents finally paid off! The kids and I had a great time weaving. Next trip I’ll bring in a frame and we’ll decorate it with glue and seashells from the collection. It was one of those weeks that it was great to be alive, with warm spring weather and the first white snowdrops and yellow eranthus blooming. There’s even a little patch of purple crocuses coming up through dried oak leaves near the house. It’s just the beginning of Spring, and I can’t wait!

Until next week…