Beach Art- Lighthouses, Sea Turtles, Shrimp...Whimsical, fun, colorful, funky. All of these describe Beach Art. Having lived on the coast of North Carolina for most of my life, painting what I know comes most natural. I enjoy the beautiful mountains of Tennessee and all the wonders that it holds, but the salt water that runs through my veins must come out somewhere. An occasional seafood dinner just doesn't satisfy that quest. So I paint floor cloths, furniture, canvases, and note cards. I also love painting artware, like salt and pepper mills, and wooden bowls. Here are some of my creations:
The Southport Dresser This 1940's style dresser has a long history attached to it. It stayed in my family for almost 40 years before being painted with scenes from our little coastal fishing village, Southport, NC. It now lives in Charlotte, NC, after being sold in a gallery in Southport. The Shrimp boat is named after my mother, the Miss Jane.
The Miss Jane coming into home port Graceful, beautiful boats are always named after the women they honor. This one is named after my sweet Mama, Miss Jane, as everyone affectionately calls her. My beach art shows real people and real life. Southport is located at the mouth of the Cape Fear River. The channel leads past Caswell Beach, Bald Head Island, and Oak Island beaches. Coming home after a good catch will be apparent with the seagulls cackling and screaming above the deck of the boat as it comes into port.
Hand painted beach art lends itself to an unlimited amount of subjects. I used to work on Bald Head as a tour guide in the late 1970's & early 80's. Climbing the steps to the top of this lighthouse was part of the job, sometimes several times a day. Whew! We were always rewarded with a glorious unspoiled 360 view of coastal marshes and beaches.
Oak Island Lighthouse at Caswell BeachThis lighthouse is now kept lit, not out of necessity, but as an honor and memory to those sailors and seamen (and women!) who used that beacon for navigation. With new GPS equipment, rarely is a ship in danger of losing it's way.
Southport Waterfront, heaven and fish houses Beach art can re-create anything, thankfully. The fish house on this dresser top was wiped out to make way for progress. Condos. This is at the foot of Lord St., a block from the home I grew up in. A lifetime was spent combing this beach after storms, finding bucketfuls of seaglass and colorful pottery shards. These were turned into beach art too.
Other Beachy Art, Floor Cloths from the sea! This Shrimp cloth now lives on the coast of South Carolina with a very distinguished beach house owner. It lives in their kitchen and is well loved. It's nice when my sea creatures find good homes!
Shells you can almost pick up off the cloth... These shells were painted on a cloth with coral in the corners, I just can't seem to find my pictures with the full cloth!
Color and design focusing on fun and function. Beach Art needs to withstand the rigors of beach life, sand, water, real life use. These cloths are protected with 6 coats of water-based polyurethane. They'll stand up to any beach house crowd! Artware, Hand painted Furniture, other whimsical beach art...
Wooden Salt and Pepper Mills I love working on small items like these while my larger pieces dry in the studio. I've probably painted over a hundred different designs on salt and pepper mills. Fun and functional beachy artware.
Fun, Funky, Unexpected... Dancing Shrimp! Maybe a new kind of beach music shag move...Just in a real crazy mood one day, I started painting this shrimp on a plant stand. It was a tall stand, kinda warped from age, perfectly imperfect by my standards. What could be more fun than a slightly warped, dancing shrimp. Weird, I know. I can't explain my mind! Beach art doesn't need explanation, fortunate for me. For more on Cape Fear Coppershop Art Gallery in Southport where my artwork is sold Click Beach Art Gallery
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Bald Head Island Lighthouse, "Old Baldy"
