Hopeless Beachcomber
Whilst visiting another lovely blog by Doda, I found myself getting that adrenlin rush from 2 loves of mine – collections and their boxes. I am a Hopeless Beachcomber. I can wander for hours with my eyes fixed on the minutae in the sand. Others dash into the sea and surf, watch the skies, sunbathe. I fill my pockets and hands with sandy (often smelly) treasures.
The absolute best time to beachcomb in Perth was after a wild winter storm – what bounty was thrown up on shore! Each beach along the coast had it’s own special secrets to throw up – the beach north of Hillarys Marina speacialised in sea urchin tests of all colours ad sizes. Mullaloo, Ram’s Horn spirals. North Cottesloe has violet shells, which in ancient times was the only source of the colour purple for royalty.
I once completed a Calligraphy piece for the Royal Show which was centered on my beachcombing expeditions. It allowed me to “use” up some of my huge collection.
The finished piece was many, many metres long, but came to an untimely and soggy end whilst I was photographing it late last year. I think there’s a whole other post that needs to be devoted to it’s demise….
Anyway, getting back to my other love/addiction are the boxes that houses these collections. Wooden display/museum boxes. I go weak at the knees when I see them. I have a secret desire to be a Natural History Museum Curator I’m sure. I have quite a few of these wooden boxes. And some Perspex ones as well. They are filled with all sorts of treasures – nests, skeletons, seeds, shells, fossils, feathers, skins, eggshells, nuts, bark. You name it, if it’s been on the ground, fallen off a creature, or just plain smelly, I’ve got it in a box.
Getting back to Doda, she has some exquisite paintings of Collection Boxes. Hailing form Scotland, I told her of my beachcombing finds on a shoally beach at St Andrews that now reside in one of my boxes.
Jez entertained Moss and Jem (Border Collies that couldn’t get enough of the frigid waters) whilst I searched the shoreline. Apart from the beautiful sea glass, tiny crabs and unusual northen hemisphere shells, I found a piece of old china that made my heart skip a beat. Rubbing away the grime from the crest, I read my family name printed there. Amazes me to this day.
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lol….
I laughed reading this about your little collection….You sound like my son who is an avid collector of all sorts….Some undesireable I can tell you….
Amazing what you can find walking along the beaches though……Some real treasures….
Thankyou for sharing this post. And I am so impressed by your calligraphy skills. (Impressed and quite jealous.)
And oooooooh violet shells! I’d love some of those!!!!!!
Maybe we can arrange a little swap sometime??????
Mandy, I must stop myself soon, it’s getting quite ridiculous. Fungi – the mushroomy type and the woody shelf type – are other things I like. I recently found an old, beautiful, orange moon shaped fungi on a branch I collected when sketching 15 or so years ago. I kept it so I could finish the sketch. Haven’t done it yet.
Don’t discourage your son! Not till he gets to my age anyway.
Doda, I’m not sure of the Quarantine laws over where you are, but they are pretty particular over here. Having said that though, I was amazed when I turned out my jeans pockets when I got back to Australia and found a Scottish crab (well dead and smelly), and a couple of shells definately the worse for wear…
No violet shells survived the trip – they were tissue paper thin. I don’t even have the original calligraphic work either – that went the way of the rubbish bin. All I have left are the photos.
I lost a lot of possessions on the 10,000km trip from Perth to Cairns. Everything had holes worn into them. And I mean EVERYTHING.
Maybe we could do a sketch swap?
Sounds like good idea. It might encourage me to actually do some artwork instead of just talking about it. I have no formal training- I guess that’s obvious, but I love to create.
Shall we specify a size/media/subject?
Your calligraphy is beautiful. I can’t believe you brought all your collections to QLD from WA. How many containers did you need? How does the man feel about your collecting.
Doda,
You’re in good company, I have no “formal” training either. The year of uni was just a “taste” of subjects. Hard to think that most subjects boiled down to just 26 contact hours each.
What size/subject are you most comfortable with?
Diane, we had 1 and a bit conatiner loads, plus the car filled to the hilt. Lots of stuff got left behind. I’m still trying to downsize what I’ve got. (eg swappping what was left of my crystal for garden plants with my neighbour). I’m finding living with less, in less space quite liberating.
What the Man don’t know, don’t hurt him………
I’m baaack…. Ditched Telstra, THEY are not part of my collection anymore. I’m a beachcombing addict. I have so many rocks, shells, bits of wood, railway spikes, iron nails, old bullet casings etc. dotted around the house and garden, in boxes and free range. Some fabulous fossils, flint and amber found beachcombing in Denmark along the Baltic coast. I can pick up a single stone and get transported back to a lake in Argentina or an old WWII dump site on an island in the Kimberly. They are like snippets of memory, though I admit some have gotten mislaid in my mind.
Your calligraphy is fabulous. And how amazing was that piece of china with your name on it! I oftne think something “has my name on it”, but never so literally!
“The calligraphy is fabulous”…………so beautiful…
Kindest regards,
Elizabeth
YAY!!! Tazar’s ALIVE!!!!
So where have you BEEN girlie??? I don’t blame you on ditching the Big T, they’re hopeless.
I was and still am, an Amber addict. My fave piece must be a ring that has a mozzie on a flower embedded in it. Impossible for the brain to register that it’s 40million yrs old.
Polish/Baltic/ amber is exquisite. I am SO jealous that you were able to beachcomb for it.
A lake in Argentina? Whatever did you find? I have brass bullet casings too, but not from a WWII dump. You’ll have to have a “Show and Tell ” now you know. You HAVE to! New blog address anywhere??? So just what have you and your intrepid pooch, puss and bird been up to? Is the Man away?
ELizabeth, I’m kinda feeling all calligraphic now. My last Photoshop assignment had some images and text combined. Makes me want to pick up the quills and dip them in some REAL inkpots, not digital ones. Lots of possibilities to explore…
Size, well, I guess I never have done anything big. I like working small. About a5 size. I think that is half an A4 – do you use those sizes over there?
What would you like?
Yes, certainly do use those paper sizes. How about something native to Scotland? And what image would you like from me in return?
You may be interested in a illustrated journal exchange that Ellis Illustration (commented on my Lychee Tree post) has proposed. It’s certainly sounds inspiring.
Hello, just came across you on Doda’s blog, i love your calligraphy ( something i so wish i could do) & your delicate watercolours are beautiful. How amazing to have found a piece of china like that. My mom was digging in the garden of the little cottage she was renovating ( it was a ruin when she started) and she unearthed a beautiful old filigree belt buckle with her name on it, a real treasure to this day. When out walking i am always collecting things, and don’t step out of the door without a bag & my camera. My studio is crammed with bits & pieces i have collected, full of delicious memories. *ruthie*
Hi Ruthie,
Thanks for stopping by.
What a treasured find your mom found! I wonder how much fate is involved when we find our names in unusual places like that. She was obviously meant to be at the cottage!
I’m with you, take the camera EVERYWHERE!
Cheers
Cindy
Hi there,
OK, I’ll do you something a5 size, native to Scotland – it might be a shell or something, don’t know yet. And I would like something native to where you are. I like frogs and amphibians, shells, flowers, birds, seaweed, animals, whatever you feel inspired to do, I think we have similar tastes. No rush though. I’ll let you know when I come up with something.
I would be interested in the journal swap. Never done anything like that before, but if you tell me how, and I am not first, then I would like to get that motivation to draw.
Swapping with you would be a good start though.
[...] When I proposed a piece for a Royal Show exhibition, I turned to my collection. I was able to use my finds, and gathered knowledge to put together a huge body of work, which won the Blue Ribbon at the Show. It met an untimely demise which I haven’t written about, but I did post some better photos under a post (click) HERE. [...]