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Strasburg Studio Archives: Rediscovery in the Stacks
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F A L L I N G Q U I E T
OCTOBER SPOTLIGHT: "KELP TIDE"
48 x 36", oil on birch panel, 2009.
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Thank you for joining me on this monthly trip through the archives of my studio.
Kelp Tide, 48 x 36”, oil on birch panel.
I found my inspiration for this month’s spotlight, Kelp Tide, while wandering a favorite shoreline. Mesmerized by the gentle push of the tide against the large swath of seaweed in the tidepool, I felt myself lulled by the swaying kelp and captivated by the colors and layers of transparency in the fog-filled morning tide.
The title of this edition of studio archives, Falling Quiet, was meant to reflect my intention of discussing the coming time change, the retreating light and my perennial desire to hibernate through the darkening months. However, a recent gift from a friend - a book titled “Unquiet Landscape”, a collection of essays about ideas in twentieth century British painting - shifted my focus to the broader questions of creativity and process.
In the opening few pages, headed “The Landscape as Emotion” the author, Christopher Neve, states:
“The painter goes through the land and sees what nobody else has seen because landscape comes from inside not out. It depends on entirely who he is…. It finds its way into his imagination via all his senses; it becomes part of his spirit, and then, with great care and sensitivity, it may be brought back again by hand into the visible world and somehow recognized.”
“Inside not out”, perfection.
As artists and makers, we serve as both conduits and filters, absorbing the world and refining our vision through our unique perspectives. For as long as I can remember, I have sought peace, quiet, and balance. As a small child, I found this calm in the back of closet, away from the bustle of a busy house and as I grew older the outdoors filled this need for quiet connection. Painting later became the physical manifestation of these personal experiences.
How does all this come back to a clump of seaweed in a tidepool? For me, it embodies the feeling of interconnectedness found in the hushed sound of the waves, the silent sway of kelp in water; it is the moment of recognizing the beauty in the mundane and celebrating the extraordinary in the ordinary.
As we transition into this season of retreating light, I invite you to join me in reflecting on your own landscapes—both external and internal. By embracing the stillness of the coming darkness, perhaps we can mute the noise of the holiday season, discovering connection in the small moments and inspiration in the gifts these moments offer.
Kelp Tide initially started with drawings of the seaweed mass encountered at the tidepool. I did a lot of printmaking at the time and had every intention of making the images into etchings. I loved the composition so much I decide first to make a painting.
Kelp Tide made its debut in 2009 in an exhibition titled Air I Earth I Fire I Water at Sullivan Goss in Santa Barbara. I can't recall if this beloved painting ever made another showing on a gallery wall. It is definitely pulled out often to show in my studio but has yet to find its rightful place in the world. I did eventually make etchings but my heart is still warmed by the painting.
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