Nearly all of the Maritime Provinces are surrounded by the ocean, and it was on a beach where artist Sharon Nowlan's dream began.
“My son collected a little handful of beach pebbles when he was about three, when we were together at the beach, and I ended up taking it home with me and I had it in my studio and I decided to make something with them,” said Nowlan, who lives in Pictou, N.S.
What Nowlan makes is beach pebble art.
Tiny, detailed images of Maritime scenes, using the natural materials of sticks and stones -- mixed with artistic creativity.
“I have a grocery list of shapes and colours and things that I need to make the designs that I have in mind,” Nowlan said.
“I'm always looking for heads. Always looking for legs. Always looking for certain jelly bean shapes and things. I make so many bride and groom pictures, or lots of love pictures. Couples and families and those basic themes are all the same.”
Nowlan's studio is filled with trays of beach glass and pebbles of all shapes, sizes and colours.
It represents 20 years of searching and collecting.
And there are times when she feels, it's still not enough.
“I never have enough,” Nowlan said. “I'm always in search of the next one. The next different shape or the next idea or the next colour, or the next texture.”
Nowlan says, in recent years, it's become more difficult to find beach glass. She has people out looking for her. She puts part of the blame on plastics going into the ocean.
“We are not throwing as much stuff into the ocean anymore, either, still probably more than we should,” said Nowlan. “But yeah, plastic is kind of, it doesn't break up into the nice pretty pieces that sea glass does.”
For some, a quiet walk on the beach is a source of relaxation; for Nowlan, it’s a source of inspiration.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Dan MacIntosh.
