cast of characters finished works

cast of characters

When we wander along a deserted beach it is easy to imagine the existence of another world; a world like that of Brian Froud or J.R.R. Tolkien but where houses are built from beach deteris and flotsam. A fantasy world of characters that we can’t see. I am endeavouring to illustrate this world using shells, flotsam and images, using Australian beaches as my reference.

the seashell

"A shell is an exoskeleton; a container, a home that offers protection and gives structure to an organism"

Shells removed from their environment become a decorative object, a reminder of a visit to the sea, a decor fad. Removing a shell from the wire basket on our dining table and really studying it reminds me of what a shell really is; an exoskeleton, protection for the organism who called it home. Whereas we are required to build or seek shelter a mollusc grows its own; when this creature dies the shell remains, either washed up on a beach or as part of the sea floor, becoming part of a platform for other organisms to grow. Either way a shell eventually becomes part of the environment that sustained it. Waves and wind eventually break down deteris until it becomes sand or stone.

I like to find an old shell and consider its story; how old it is, what considered it home, what colour was it and where it originated. It is not rare to find an ancient shell, even one that belonged to an extinct organism. The Sand dollars in my collection are from Pardoo Station in the Northwest, found well above the existing waterline, bleached white from the relentless sun, half buried in the very sand that centuries ago nourished them. A good example of ancient shells are those found in the extinct ocean beds of the Nullarbor Plain (Eyre Hwy W.A. and S.A. border), these shells a believed to be at least 9 million years old; they have become red and fossilised themselves into the surrounding earth. It is a fascinating experience to walk over the escarpment above Madura roadhouse (Eyre Hwy, West Australia) and see the remains of reef beds rising from the desert, where they have been exposed to the sun for more than 21 million years. It is a privilege to have one of these fossilised shells in my collection.

Putting together an illustrated journal of all these finds would be a way of showing that shells are more than just a decorative object to be discarded without thought; but a miracle crafted by nature.

beachcombing notes

The beachcomber is loosely defined as one who collects shells and driftwood from the seashore, often just as a holiday entertainment resulting in a decorative reminder of summers past.

Beachcombing is about observation.

Walking a beach can reveal many stories of the ocean and its inhabitants both human and natural that rely on it for their survival. One has to remember that we are only visitors; take only what is permitted and fair, only take live shells if it is really required for a collection, damaged shells are often more interesting and old damaged shells have a story.

One small area of a beach may appear bare, wind and water push sand over shells, feathers even fish remains; these treasures are often best recorded as they are found, a part of the landscape rather than separate, natural relief sculptures in the sand.

North, south, east is a pictorial narrative that explores a beachcomber's view of the Australian coastline. My journey encompasses beaches in the North West, Southwest, Southern Tasmania and the extinct beaches of the Nullarbor Plain.

Beach detritus is dead organic waste that arrives on the seashore with ocean sediment. The scale and condition detritus depends of wave energy, directional flow of tides and the geographical formation of a coastline. High energy beaches like Blackmans Bay in southern Tasmania and the beaches of tropical Port Hedland in the Pilbara wash up huge numbers of shells and stones, the beaches of the Southwest of W.A. have very few shells; all beaches, however, reveal interesting finds if one observes.

My beach combing expeditions are not only a search for shells; although my beach finds are predominately organic, shells, exoskeletons, driftwood, stones and dead sea creatures, interesting finds like worn glass, bottles, rope and old fishing equipment are also part of my collection. Photographs play a large part in my beachcombing; dead crabs, fish and even a jettisoned rat are much less odorous and more interesting when recorded as they are found. Photographing shells in national parks also secures a way of recording them when collecting is not permitted.

The terms flotsam and jetsam were, in early times, used in relation to ships, their cargo and waste, today however the two words together are used to describe odds and ends. Flotsam describes an object that floats; jetsam is similar as it can also float, but only refers to objects that have been deliberately thrown into the ocean. Non organic flotsam and jetsam can both be hazardous to the environment and sea creatures.

One of our best known beachcombers was Robert Callender (1932-2011). Based in the UK, Callender was inspired by ocean debris, rubbish washed into the sea from land and that jettisoned to shore from boats and ships. Although Callender painted the shoreline in its natural state his later works like Coastal Collection, demonstrate his interest in man's life and death on the ocean and also the way washed up debris can be recycled and reinterpreted as art.

once they lived : organic flotsam

“Although a beach may appear bare, wind and water push sand over shells, feathers even fish remains; these treasures are often best recorded as they are found, a part of the landscape rather than separate, natural relief sculptures in the sand”