Last summer, while walking the beach in Provincetown Harbor, I was collecting broken pottery when an idea struck me. I noticed several pieces of flotsam, one being about 6 inches across. It was a chunk of fiberglass with the remains of wood on one side, and a pretty shade of blue on the other. A perfect canvas! I shoved some random pieces into my bag, and eventually they cluttered my art room. I rarely have time for all the ideas I come up with.
This summer, I was back on the beach collecting pottery. Some of it can be really neat. Broken bits of china with blue patterns. The edges weathered with 100 winters. Then I saw a larger piece of something. I picked it up and realized it was an old shoe. Then another. The whole area was littered with shoe soles! Men’s shoes, women’s shoes, and heels. Not newer shoes either. These had square nail holes and evidence of a cobbler’s repairs. Were these the remains of an old shoemaker? A city dumping spot? A shipwreck??
Either way, my impulse was the same as last summer- Canvases! Only this time it was more fun. Something about the fact that these little canvases used to walk all over Provincetown makes them fascinating. Literal witnesses to history. And what more appropriate images than scenes of Provincetown? My favorite part is that I’m able to take what is basically trash (or precious artifacts if you will) and up-cycle them into something useful again.
Then, I thought about ways I can make this even more impactful. I’m doing a small thing by removing waste from the beach, but there is so much more that needs to be done. And, there are others already doing this great work. For example, The Trustees of Reservations owns and runs Dune's Edge Campground, and more than 100 other properties. I am a member, I like their work, and camp at Dune’s Edge, so it seems only logical to choose them.
These miniatures will soon be listed on my Available page, and 100% of every sale will go to The Trustees of Reservations. Now, each miniature will not only be cleaning the landscape, it will also provide funds to those who are preserving over 100 landscapes state-wide.
