This stationary has always reminded me of seashells, so I juxtaposed the real thing with its artistic interpretation for these photos. That sort of collision is what excites me ~ the crux of nature and art, the crossroads of reality and representation. That on a simple piece of card-stock, the sea can be so eloquently conjured is one of life’s greatest gifts. Particularly in a land-locked portion of upstate New York, where the ocean feels so far away, it’s a comfort to find a few objects and renderings that take me right back to the shore.
In our living room there is a large half of a clam shell, and in it is a collection of stones that I plucked from beneath the rolling waves of Ogunquit Beach. They are mostly smooth from years of tumbling against the sand, but each is unique in design, color, and variation. Whenever I miss the sea, I wander over to this little pile of stones, take a few in my hand, and return to that idyllic space between land and ocean.
