Acrylic on canvas, 11 inches x 14 inches. Jekyll Island, located on the coast of Georgia, is a barrier island, one of nearly a dozen along the Atlantic Ocean. It’s one of my favorite places to visit and enjoy. I created three paintings of this marsh. This is the first. I painted it in my studio based on photos taken while we were there over Valentines Day, 2020.
You can walk along a trail that leads to the Jekyll Bay from which you can look over to St. Simon’s Island, another of Georgia’s barrier islands.
Marshes are crucial to wildlife and are protected through wetland’s legislation. However, things are changing rapidly because of climate change. The coast of Georgia sometimes is in the path of hurricanes and over the past ten years, many cities and towns along the coast have flooded. At nearby Sapelo Island, the University of Georgia has a Marine Institute. One of their research projects looks at the effects of climate change on coastal Georgia. My friend and colleague, Ted Colton have taken students to Sapelo to participate in programs there, and to study the ecology of Georgia’s barrier islands.
Painting the marshes has been a way for me to reflect on the importance of these ecological spaces.
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