seas tides moons

yesterday was a “me day”in the studio and i am claiming at least one a month and hopefully more. of course, days of pure experimentation and reflection are just necessary for me and serve to enhance everything. jude has been paying attention to the tides and discovered a red moon. she reminded me of a project i have had in my head since Kamakura with her photo of red seaweed.

walking along the bay in Kamakura, camera in hand and the wind blowing very hard, i photographed seaweed. such lovely sculptural marvels! textures and colors! i saw shibori in every single one.

from Colby Brink’s in his paper “Seaweed and its Valuable Use” i gleaned the following information:

From the polars to the tropics, estimates range from 20,000 to 130,000 species of seaweed can be found, but the real figure is probably around 45,000.

Seaweeds are divided into three major groups by color: the greens, the browns, and the reds.

… seaweeds are held up while living at the bottom of the ocean by tiny gas-filled bladders or swellings which are found in the fronds. They act as floating devices to keep the plants closer to the surface, allowing for maximum light exposure. This allows for the process of photosynthesis to occur more easily .

The majority of seaweeds are perennial and live more than two years.

and this from Patricia Behnke:

Beach wrack consists of sea grass, reeds and marine algae that have drifted at sea before washing ashore, especially after storms. After landing on dry land, beach wrack becomes host to a diverse cast of insects and other tiny invertebrate animals, such as jumping beach hoppers, which are harmless rice-sized crustaceans. The tiny animals, in turn, serve as food for many other creatures.

“A beach without wrack is like a gallery without art.

the recent full moon and spring tides have brought with them some interesting things.

i found the sea calling to me so i went to have a look .

it was a great day!