Plein air Oyster Restoration through an Artist’s Eyes IMAGE: Putnam in Apalachicola Florida. Photo courtesy of Sandie Yarbrough.
For me, plein air is response to what I see and experience. Since 2008, I have been documenting this area and its ever-changing environment.
Still Standing, 2012. Dozens of artist posted paintings of this building on Facebook when it was announced that it had been destroyed.
As an artist, I travel to paint in as many as 20 different locations a year: from Ireland to the California coast, to Blue Ridge.
From Sedona Arizona to Manitowoc Wisconsin to the Sicilian Sun.
A little about what happens out there…
Rain Easton Maryland plein air festival
Indian Pass: Three’s a crowd Wildlife (okay, with a little help from Denise Rose.)
Rushing water Crested Butte, Colorado
Heat 105º in the Arizona shade
Field sketch, “Time to Pack Up,” Mexico Beach 9x12… the “elbow” stroke. Wind
Annual Sierra pack trip: •11,000 ft. elevation •Sleeping in tents •Air evac optional
and, last but not least , mosquitoes and black flies.
So, you ask, why might someone decide to do this work?
Just a small taste of one brief morning in Eastpoint. This is really where the oyster crisis first became real to me as boats lined up ready to re- seeding the beds
As we document the world, each place we paint becomes part of us. It becomes our story to share for generations to come. Your place travels with us to other places, and we have an opportunity, through the art, to bring about awareness and change.
Since 2008, I have painted this area • on 20+ separate occasions, • over 180+ days, • creating well over 200 sketches and paintings. Many of these pieces of art have been of images of oystermen, oyster boats, the Apalachicola Bay, and other elements of the oyster industry, its joys and its tragedies. Many of the buildings I have painted no longer stand, the men and women no longer work, and their boats have literally sunk before my eyes. What happens to all of the artwork created here?
The oyster stories of Apalachicola Bay have been shared with more than 2200 painters at the annual Plein air Convention, during demonstrations at the Portrait Society of America Conference, in all of the aforementioned locations and countless others, through lectures, exhibitions, and workshops. Your story travels with me and is told through me.
“Working Man Blues,” 9x12 plein air, “The Morning Crew,” 8x16, plein air, 2012, (private collection) painted on Water 2014, (private collection) painted at 3-mile, Street in Apalachicola, which has been Apalachicola, which has been exhibited in Port Saint Joe, FL exhibited in Port Saint Joe, FL, Clarksville, TN, Salt Lake City, UT, Nashville, TN, Sarasota, FL, and and Sarasota FL Balboa Island, CA
Sometimes, I take the luxury of walking all around a place, snapping photos, looking for ideas. It’s rare that I have time to do that. More on that in a minute. 13-Mile, between Indian Pass and Apalachicola, FL.
Position of set-up. Super hot, humid, and no calm breeze. Yes, it can be a little smelly here. Several sketches from the area. So, why not just paint from the picture?
Because these are the actual colors I observed from life! “Spent Shells,” plein air, 14x18, 2015, (private collection) . Exhibited in National America Impressionist Society Exhibition in Scottsdale, AZ, and Award-winner at Oil Painters of America National Salon.
Other times, there is little time to sketch or think. The sun moves to quickly in the early morning light. That’s when I must paint more intuitively. I snapped a few pics of boats with people in silhouette to have for reference later. Then, sticking only to my first impression, abstract shapes against the early morning light, I painted as quickly as possible to capture the mood of this scene in 2013. Scene in Eastpoint Florida during early Field sketch, “Re-seeding Care Line,” morning re-shelling. These men show 8x16 ( private collection) up early and line up as far as you can see to get just one bucket-load of shells to re-seed the beds.
“Eastpoint Blues,” 12x16 (private collection) was painted as a demonstration from sketches and photographs during the Portrait Society of American National Conference in Washington, DC, 2014. It was later exhibited as a studio painting in the Forgotten Coast Plein air Festival.
Studio painting, “Getting an Early Start,” 20x24 began from a series of sketches painted over the course of 3 years on Water Street in Apalachicola. It is now on exhibit in the Master’s Gallery for this event.
In March, 2016, I was invited to get a more personal look at the people whose lives have been most effected by the declining availability of oysters here.
Meet Eugene and Delene Millender-King.
“We used to get 5 or 6 bags an hour. Now we are lucky if we get 5 in a day.”
Spat growing on the re- seeded shell bed. These males will become females once they reach about 2 ½”.
Inspectors check every oyster again for size. Nothing under 3” can be kept. There are hefty fines for anyone caught breaking the law.
Fishing is more than a job. It’s a way of life that spans over many generations.
"Around 250 bags of oysters a day Only a few people are needed to work were being processed here prior to this once-busy space. 2012. Now we may do 25."
Oysters are culled a third time and re- bagged before distribution.
Issues: •Salinity levels •Over-harvesting •Illegal size capture •More fishermen •Lack of industry and other employment opportunities
What is being done? •Increased awareness •Education efforts •Water quality •Re-seeding of beds •New processes proposed and under investigation
During my residency in March, I also interviewed restaurant owners, spoke with dozens of other fishermen, and met with scientists. Each one had a slightly different take on the issue. Some are optimistic that it will get better; some not so much. The one thing they all agree on is that this is the worst it has ever been. And without fail, each person thanked me for what I was doing to help bring awareness. When I returned to my studio in Tennessee, I heard their voices, the scenes were vivid in my mind. I could hear the birds, smell the salt air, and taste the oysters. As a painter, it is important to me to keep the same sense of freshness in my studio work as I capture in on-site sketches. It is truly an honor to share these images and stories with other people and places when traveling. I try my best to represent your place, your plight, and your hope for the future.
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