Good Things Come in Small Packages
Masterpieces need not be large or made from rare materials. These pint-sized pieces are proof that the hands of an artist can elevate even the simplest of materials.
These artists were inspired to recreate real and imaginary coastal getaways with beachfound treasured combed from their shorelines.
Donna Bishop, Seth Draper, DriftwoodSails,Tim Charnick
Tim Charnick, DriftwoodSails, Nicola McFarlane Young
Eileen Keelan, Seth Draper, DriftwoodSails
Ingrid Mayes, Rowy Marynissen, Tim Charnick
These tiny art pieces capture scenes from the sea, the forest, meadows, and even the desert. These assemblages can tell a story, capture a memory, or create an imaginary reality.
Seth Draper, Crafts by Cris, Barbara Smith
Alice Ahrens, Meagan Gardiner, Aimee Harpt, Alice Ahrens
Seth Draper, Angelina Kazmer, Angelina Kazmer
Driftwood Fish, Jean St. Denis, Maureen Lombardo, Angelina Kazmer
Angelina Kazmer, Machel Spence
Inga and Klaus Ortelt, Sonja Benedict, Kristin Norton
Gina Olkowski, Helen Frost, Lynn Williams, Jean St. Denis, Surfside Sea Glass Jewelry, Rachel Fields
Lorraine Hamlin wanted to take her daughters on a beachcombing adventure before her youngest daughter headed off to college, so they headed to the California coast, just north of Santa Cruz. “The water at the cove near Pigeon Point Lighthouse looked so blue—like Hawaii—on that day! My girls agreed to go beachcombing with me at Año Nuevo State Park,” says Lorraine. “We found micro mollusks, mini sand dollars, and sea glass.”
As they passed by Big Basin State Park, they made plans to visit at the end of their trip, but they decided to go to Lake Tahoe instead. Lorraine says, “After all, we could visit Big Basin any time!” Little did they know that Big Basin would be consumed by wildfires soon after their trip, in early August 2020.
“As we compare our photos of the Coastal mountains to the fire photos, we are so glad we got to share a beautiful day together along the coast before it was too late,” says Lorraine. She framed some of the beach finds they collected together. Adds Lorraine, “This little gift just means so much to us!”
Maggii Sarfaty isn’t sure if she’ll ever own her dream cottage on Sanibel, so she built her own miniature version. “It is covered in hundreds of scallops, with tiny shell specimens I hand collected,” says Maggii. “The only store-bought items are the bathroom fixtures and a heron on the beach. It has everything a beachcomber needs!”
Maggii’s Sanibel Cottage is a 1" = 1' scale model and was a prize winner at the 2018 Sanibel Shell Show. Our biggest question: When can we move in?
This article appeared in the Beachcombing Magazine November/December 2020 issue.
