The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Okay, so I am just now posting a photograph of my Fall 2015 art show. What can I say? I am busy beyond belief. I write a culture blog. (It currently resides at curlyv2.wordpress.com. One of these days I am going to change the name. When I have more time. Or when I get cloned. Whatever comes first.) I sing in a chorus. I belong to several community organizations. I have lots of social obligations. I read. I cook. I clean house. Oh, and I work. I fall so far behind on updating this website, it exhausts me to think about it. I haven’t even posted magazine designs from past jobs, and only a smattering from my current job. Sigh. There are only so many hours in the day. The stoic, Marcus Aurelius, nails it: I am keeping an untroubled spirit and just doing the best I can.

The fall show was based on childhood memories of vacations on Edisto Island. I had tried making small desktop prints, which I called mini-monoprints. I need time to perfect the process. (You can see an image of the technique in the section called works in progress.)

You can also see a link to my completed 2015 Sketchbook Project submission here.

Edisto Island, 1972

When I was a young girl, my family and I would camp for three weeks at a time on the beach of this magical sea island in South Carolina. At the time, the campground was primitive and we often had the whole place nearly to ourselves. The beach was crazy with shells. It hurt our feet to walk on them. There were nesting sea turtles. There were strange sea creatures. But the best part of all were the sharks teeth. They were plentiful, and many were quite large. There were other fossilized bones to be found, but the sharks teeth were the most prized.

The campground is still there, and it now has hot showers, amenities, and large crowds in the summer. The wooden swivel bridge onto the island has been long ago replaced by a modern one. There are now golf courses and condos and designer homes. The beach has been regularly rearranged by hurricanes. But in my heart, the island is still an isolated wilderness. A place of wonder and discovery. These pieces represent that childlike thrill of finding treasures on the beach. Treasures that now live in my heart and spirit all these years later.

(All text and images on this site © Victoria Beerman. All Rights Reserved.)