Painting is just another way of keeping a diary ~Pablo Picasso

Friday, November 15, 2013

Seascape

Growing up along the shores of Lake Michigan, I've always been partial to the sand there, soft, off-white, and very clean.  But I have gained an appreciation for some qualities of this Pacific Northwest sand as seen here in Ocean Shores, Washington.  This sand is much dirtier, darker, and finer-grained, packing almost like clay, which is why people can drive on the beach here.  As water washes up onshore at Lake Michigan, it sinks almost immediately through the sand.  In Washington, a thin layer of water sits right on top of the sand as the waves recede, leaving this expansive reflection.  Add to that the fact that small tide waves move so much further up the beach than waves on the Great Lakes, and I think this combination makes for a surreal scene, part seascape, part cloudscape.

4 comments:

Sketchbook Wandering said...

Yes, surreal...Your image alters reality, one can imagine that the waves are floating in the sky, a view from an airplane perhaps...very striking linear designs in that thin layer of water!

TexWisGirl said...

such beautiful textures!

Lynette said...

Surreal describes it very well. Thanks for the photo, Melissa!

Folkways Note Book said...

Your photos are beautiful. You have a real affinity for the water. I believe that might be because you were raised near Lake Michigan. I too am from Michigan, spending lots of time around Michigan's bodies of water when I was young. I suppose the natural environment you experience as a child stays in your blood. I know with me it does.-- barbara