So very delicate! This leaf had just blown to the tide line and was poised to be gathered with the rising tide. It was a privilege to capture its final beauty, as it was positioned perfectly with the small bit of reed above it. The photograph is fitting closure for the simple leaf after its season of harboring birds and sheltering humans from summer’s heat.
The beauty of this still life is that it is all here in a size that would fit in the palm of a hand.
The curves and rim of this particular mussel shell are especially sensuous. The scattering of sand in its bowl, deposited by the tide, is placed perfectly, gently. The so-tiny splashes of water enhance the interior of the shell and the grains of sand that are contained within it.
What I find most lovely, though is the light that is captured by gleaming white interior of the shell. The sunlight accentuates the scalloping pattern, and creates a small iridescent patch. A hidden rainbow.
Most of the time, the still lifes that I find are larger, more traditional and fitting to art’s description of a still life. Here, though, the arrangement is composed of not multiple different objects, but of the land, sea, and sky together.
Shell, ocean, and light perfectly composed to delight.
I wonder how many tiny treasures such as this one I miss when I walk the tide line . . .
The alternate title I pondered is “Repose”. I find this photograph very restful, almost meditative.
I loved the linearity of these fragments followed by the two, punctuating pebbles.
My husband was with me on this walk and took a phone photo as I was capturing this tide line still life. Sometimes I just ‘see’ arrangements that I think are beautiful in their own right . . . Even those composed of broken shells and ordinary pebbles.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Since it is completely white outside again, I just may have to look at this bit of green off and on throughout the day!
In a college geology class, decades ago, we learned that green stones along the NJ shore line were likely volcanic – evidence and remains of the volcanoes that are now the Appalachian range. This stone is nearly as light as the shells that surrounded it, likely volcanic tuff.
Regardless of its composition or origin, though, it creates a serene still life here with the very blue mussel and the tide’s high line.
The lines that are sometimes found in objects along the tide line are as graceful and elegant as any that are found elsewhere. This coupling of a humble mussel shell and a dead leaf is, to me, simply and absolutely beautiful.
I’ve saved this one for months in order to post it today! Happy 3.14!
A moon shell and a whelk, each abandoned and long-eroded, side by side showing off their delicate spiral interiors.
The first spring-like day.
An after school beach exploration with my nine year old granddaughter. (An avid shell gatherer, and tide line ‘spotter’ for me).
“Look, Omi! A heart rock! Take a picture for your blog!”
She holds the sky in her hand, and she holds my heart in her own.
Tide Line Still Life 