North Coast California (RESULTS)
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:13 pm
We plan to include artists from 3 scattered locations along the northern California coast.
The first collection of sketches is from Gaelwriter at the Point Arena cove. Abalone season has opened again and it was a great day to catch views of the abalone divers preparing their ocean-going kayaks, and then upon return later in the morning, to show them tagging their catch. Abalone steaks make the most fabulous seafood you could hope to enjoy (very expensive in a restaurant). They are prepared by slicing the foot into steaks, and tenderizing each steak by pounding before sauteing or grilling. Careful management of the resource has kept the red abalone fairly plentiful along our coast, and the rules are strict, requiring the driver to attach license tags to each abalone he takes before transporting them home.
The first sketch shows divers preparing their ocean-going kayaks on the rocky shoreline before heading out. Only scuba-diving equipment is allowed--no oxygen tanks can be used:
The next sketch shows the first divers to return, attaching license tags to abalones they have caught. They were getting abalones that measured about 10 inches across, and weigh about 5 pounds or so. All good size takes.
Next I want to show a detail sketch of the abalone. It's viewed with the shell side lying on the table. The shell's gorgeous mother-of-pearl inside surface is mostly hidden beneath the 'foot' of the abalone.
The foot is shown extended above the shell, and the suction pad with which it attaches to an underwater rock is the upper end of the foot. When the abalone is disturbed, the foot contracts and clamps its shell to the rock surface, protecting its fleshy parts. The diver needs a steel tool, like a tire iron, to pry the abalone off the rock.
Finally, to wrap up my day I sketched one of the less daring, conventional fisherman fishing off the end of the pier nearby.
I'll add sketches from the other artists as they arrive. See you at the next Sketchcrawl!
The first collection of sketches is from Gaelwriter at the Point Arena cove. Abalone season has opened again and it was a great day to catch views of the abalone divers preparing their ocean-going kayaks, and then upon return later in the morning, to show them tagging their catch. Abalone steaks make the most fabulous seafood you could hope to enjoy (very expensive in a restaurant). They are prepared by slicing the foot into steaks, and tenderizing each steak by pounding before sauteing or grilling. Careful management of the resource has kept the red abalone fairly plentiful along our coast, and the rules are strict, requiring the driver to attach license tags to each abalone he takes before transporting them home.
The first sketch shows divers preparing their ocean-going kayaks on the rocky shoreline before heading out. Only scuba-diving equipment is allowed--no oxygen tanks can be used:
The next sketch shows the first divers to return, attaching license tags to abalones they have caught. They were getting abalones that measured about 10 inches across, and weigh about 5 pounds or so. All good size takes.
Next I want to show a detail sketch of the abalone. It's viewed with the shell side lying on the table. The shell's gorgeous mother-of-pearl inside surface is mostly hidden beneath the 'foot' of the abalone.
The foot is shown extended above the shell, and the suction pad with which it attaches to an underwater rock is the upper end of the foot. When the abalone is disturbed, the foot contracts and clamps its shell to the rock surface, protecting its fleshy parts. The diver needs a steel tool, like a tire iron, to pry the abalone off the rock.
Finally, to wrap up my day I sketched one of the less daring, conventional fisherman fishing off the end of the pier nearby.
I'll add sketches from the other artists as they arrive. See you at the next Sketchcrawl!
