Thursday, September 6, 2012


First day back in the studio.  Looking back at sketches made and photographs taken.  Thinking about the construction of the dunes - their relationship with to the wind.  The way they form around any obstructions.  Always remaining fluid and in flux.




Being in that landscape makes me think of our mindscape, constantly moving and shifting.  Some form and shape standing solidly for a time, forming around an obstruction, trying to shift it or bury it...  Absolute impermanence. 


.




I made many many sketches, most very quickly while walking and sitting in different parts of the dunes. Was a very good way to get to know the shapes and lines.  More about looking than drawing in some ways, following the line with the eye and almost molding or sculpting it without really looking at the page.




Dusty Miller
Artemisia Stellerian

I really loved this plant & have just discovered it's name - now I love it even more!

The vegetation was so beautiful, different grasses and small hardy shrubs.   The vegetation is essential to the stabilization of a dune. The Cape Cod National Seashore lists the many landscape features in the region as -heartlands, grasslands, dunes, woodlands, forests, vernal pools, kettle ponds, salt marshes, freshwater marshes, intertidal zones and seagrass beds. Each having their own individual kind of plant life.  Past human activities have had a major role in shaping the Seashore's vegetation.  Many of the plant communities are currently being negatively impacted as a result of human pressures on the environment.  It's one of those landscapes that initially seems barren, but the more time you spend in it the more you see really how incredible it is and how much is actually going on.

No comments:

Post a Comment