Framed oil painting

10 × 12 (image size) oil on board

In my latest painting, entitled Lone Island on the Marsh, it was the isolated strand of dense trees surrounded by saltwater and tidal marsh that inspired the painting. This particular scene is located in Mount Pleasant, SC, close to home. However, it is a familiar scene throughout the Lowcountry.

The harshness of the saltwater along the coastal wetlands allows the Cordgrass or Spartina Grass to thrive, but all other plants and trees struggle to survive. The winding waterways cut through the pluff mud with the significant rising and lowering of tides. This can sometimes cut off slightly higher ground from the shoreline creating islands such as the one depicted in the painting.

Eventually many of the trees die off, leaving skeleton-like remnants that represent the passage of time. Birds of prey, wading and seabirds love to perch themselves on the dead branches to soak in the sun, rest, and survey their habitat.

The lone island is not easily accessible because the water is shallow, the tidal basin’s floor is mud, and the grasses are course. Therefore, it is a solitary haven and ideal habitat for rookeries and wildlife.

I love the simplicity of the coastal wetlands and how a small grove of trees in various stages of life can add so much interest to a scene.