really blue Blue Crab watercolor painting

Blue Crab 1

watercolor on paper

7" x 9"

I was shopping the other day and saw a print that intrigued me. It was a blue crab on a  map of the Chesapeake Bay. It got me to thinking...that I would do the same type of painting on a map of Delaware. So here is a preliminary painting of a blue crab. When I was a small girl, my family would go crabbing in and around Bethany Beach, Delaware. We would catch a basket full and then my mom would boil them up and we would have a great crab meal. I don't remember exactly what she would make, but my mom was a wonderful cook. I'll have to ask my sisters or brother if they remember.  

Next comes a painting of the small state of Delaware...

Painting shells at the beach

I've really enjoyed painting the shells I found on the beach. This is a detail of a larger painting I am currently painting It is fun to make each texture...the rough sand, the smooth belly of a shell. Each is different. I think its the shadow that makes the shells pop though. I added the small piece of sea glass. The actual piece I found is much larger but it was too large for this painting (!!!) so I made it smaller.

As I rarely find sea glass on US beaches, I was quite thrilled to find a large piece right here in little 'ol Delaware.   My sister has learned the names of shells and she tells me that the gold one up in the middle top that is cut off is called a Jingle. The round pink one at the bottom left is called a Slipper. And the clam shell....well it's a clam shell.  :-)  The stones and broken shells I made up.

walking on the beach in January

Waves and bare feet in January

color pencil and watercolor on paper

8.5" x 5.5"

Last week my daughters and granddaughter came to visit me in my new beach house. It was so great to see them and they picked the perfect weekend to come as the temperature went up to 70 degrees. We went to the beach and it was so warm, we took off our shoes, coats and socks and wandered all around the beach in our bare feet at the end of January! The water was freezing but the sand, wind and sky was warm and blue and wonderful. I snapped a picture of my granddaughter as she stood and looked at the waves. She was laughing and in awe. She loved it and it warmed my heart so much. I drew this yesterday using my photo as a reference. I wanted to catch the awe she felt looking at the big waves. She is four and everything still amazes her. We should all spend time with a four year old to renew our sense of wonder at this great big beautiful world in which we live.