Written by There’s nothing more amazing than walking on a sandy beach, next to ocean waves that are either gently or even abruptly making their presence known. It’s such a cathartic and wonderful experience, that it’s no wonder it’s equally popular to take a bit of it home with you. Here we have a little doodlewash of some seashells captured in a glass bottle. Or, as is always the case with me, a rather quick and rough approximation of the general idea. When I first visited beaches, I was so enthralled, I did manage to gather a few shells that I wanted to take home as a souvenir. But once home, they lost of bit of their magic and faded into being simply a piece of lovely décor. A collection of ephemera that I couldn’t quite trace to a specific memory. But, I realized that, in the end, it wasn’t meant to be about anything so precise. It was a lovely reminder of the entire experience, sending me back to those lapping waves, cool breezes, and warm sun that reflected on the sand in a blindingly beautiful fashion. Perhaps that’s why I’m still enthralled by seeing anything with seashells today. They don’t have to be the ones I personally collected to remind me of an amazing moment experienced while being by the sea.
I read somewhere that seashell jewelry is supposed to be all the rage this summer as well. Apparently, Prada chucked them down the runway last year, so this year, it’s supposed to be huge. Since, these articles fail to take into account I live in the Midwest, it’s always a bit like traveling into the future. Most trends of this sort take a bit of time to reach my location so knowing about them in advance makes me feel like a true time traveler. In just about two years from now, I’ll apparently be seeing shell necklaces and bracelets everywhere, including those puka shells from 20 years ago as they make a triumphant return. I don’t wear jewelry of any kind beyond a watch and my wedding ring, so this will all be lost on me when it happens. In truth, I don’t tend to adhere to trends so much as celebrate them. I love that history repeats itself and that so many things we once loved become the things we all love once again. There’s a comfort in knowing that the past can return and that the future, despite all of its incredible advancements, likely won’t be that much different than the past, after all.
Maybe that’s what these seashells are trying to remind us. No matter how much the world seems to lurch forward in technologies and inventions, nature is still slowly evolving in a much more natural way. Though I actually do try to keep up with knowing the latest trends, I stall a bit in actually pursuing any of them. I’ve been around long enough now to notice the patterns. All I have to do is stick with the thing I love, and I can rest assured that it will find its way back in vogue one day. So, I don’t seek to be fashionable each and every day, but know that I’ll always be fashionable once again, one day in the future. That wondrous day when those people who decide such things, realize that the very things I always adored, are worthy of being adored once again. Nothing will change for me at all really, but I’ll smile with a nod to whatever it was “they” happily rediscovered. Perhaps its just our way as humans of counting our time on this planet. Connecting the past with the present to somehow make sense of it all. But it’s always made perfect sense. All you need do to truly understand it is spend a bit of time contemplating seashells in a bottle.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Opus (Vivid Pink), Terra Cotta, Cobalt Turquoise and Cobalt Blue. Photo Reference by: Phillip Pessar. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Click Here! |
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Your shells in the bottle are lovely…not a broken one, at least not that I can see. That had to be fun to paint with those nice, bright colors. Walking the beach and searching for shells is something I really enjoy. So relaxing.
Thanks so much, June! 😃💕 Glad you liked this! The speedy way I sketch, they’re probably all a bit broken, but only when you get really close! 😉 hehe And yay to walking on the beach searching for shells. It’s so much fun!
Beautiful “gifts from the sea” (one of my favourite books).
Thanks so much, Louise! 😃💕Glad you liked this! I’ve never read that book, though, I should check it out!
I love the way you’ve used the touches of yellow ochre and terra cotta to add warmth to the mostly blue and green throughout your bottle of shells.
Thanks so much, Sandra! 😃💕 As you know, I’m the limited palette guy… hehe… so I’ve been trying to remember to splash in some extra bits of color for interest!
I loved the colour full shells.beautifully painted n looks marvlous in bottle.good decor. Thanks so much lie.
Thanks so much, Snehlata! 😃💕 Glad you enjoyed this one! I think I’d like a bottle like this as part of my décor!
A lovely piece of writing. I feel the same about seashells. Your painting shows off these wonders of nature perfectly.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕This was fun… far too detailed to truly sketch accurately, so it was a game of just adding bits of light and dark!
Lovely thoughts expressed beautifully!
Thanks so much, Zertab! 😃💕 So happy you enjoyed this!
I love this bottle of shells, Charlie. When I was a kid, I could find shells on the Atlantic, the Pacific, or the Hawaiian coasts. Today, the beaches are empty of shells, apparently all taken home by kids like me. Sorry! We have sea shells in every room, as I really love them. Your story about the experiences being the true memento gave me pause. I should have left some shells for other kids.
Thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 Yeah, the beaches have been a been shelled-out for sure. But on the bright side, it’s easier to walk barefoot. 😉 As a kid we never made it to the beach so all of our shells came from our friends who were more lucky in that regard.
Lovely glass and shells! Love your thoughts on trends :-).
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 hehe… glad you enjoyed this post!
I like this one very much and I just had my coffee donuts great write up Charlie
Thanks so much, Les! 😃💕 So thrilled you enjoyed the post! Pass me a donut, please! hehe
“All I have to do is stick with the thing I love, and I can rest assured that it will find its way back in vogue one day.” Truly a great wisdom.
You have several beach posts and painting and I can’t begin to tell you how much that has put a smile in my heart. I’m not very mobile at the moment so there’ll be no trip home this year, and yet with each of your beach posts, I am there. Thank you again.
Aww that’s so wonderful to hear! 😃💕 Thrilled you enjoy the beach posts. It’s much the same for me as it’s been ages since I’ve been on a beach. But it’s so good to relive those memories.
Wow, this is so beautiful! ❤️
Aww thanks so much, Ann! 😃💕