The Sea, the sound, the swamp abundant with life and color

 

As I bike, boogie board, kayak, hike, and do small safaris in the North Carolina coastal wildlife reserves and parks, I’m continually struck by awe when it comes to the wildlife, the plants and more. Because of this immersion, the animals, the plants, and the waterways are making their way into my art more and more. The inspiration is dazzling and dizzying. Light leaves shadows and imprints on my eyes. Many times the light and mist and reflections off the water can refract the light making rainbow glitterings or intensify the lights and shadows. The display of color in the wildflower can be overwhelming. Fields of yellow. Trees dripping with purple and pinks. Fences and downed trees ensnared by clouds of white, pink, and yellow. And all the while, animals from owls, foxes, alligators, Carolina wrens, hummingbirds, and more seek to hide themselves among and within. My paintings in this series will be striving to touch this experience. By creating a series of 30+ paintings, my goal is to show them in mass together as a whole, all with a distinct style and color palette. The pamphlet I wish to produce to go out to the public will include pictures of the artwork, a brief title and description, then some intimate detail as to the what, where, and why. The goal as well is to produce a paperback picture book as well once I have enough work and completed enough research to justify one. This is to be an introduction to be in the public as well as an introduction to the great variety of wildlife we have access to right here, much of it going unnoticed in our own backyards, as we live out our hurried modern lives.