Holding the swash line

3x5 ft. acrylic on canvas

With the pounding surf just a few feet away, this oystercatcher forages, casually probing the swash line for dinner.

By painting at life size, I wanted to give you a walk down the beach, with this crow-sized bird so close and sharp you could touch it.

By freezing the action, the big seafoam spheres at the top left are suspended aloft, while the fine spray on the right descends in gauzy tendrils.

Because it was painted at bird’s eye (or child’s eye) level, the double wave appears high overhead. The foam at your feet feels familiar, like when you were a child first playing in the waves. I hope you can feel the cool, firm sand underfoot, and maybe you can hear the surf and the cries of the gulls.