There's nothing better than the beach. Not only can you take a dip and soak up some sunshine, but there's so much to explore at the continent's edge. Stroll along the water, and you'll find shells, rocks, sea glass, and even the occasional unexpected treasure.
And something about all that open space and endless possibility is great for boosting your creativity, too.
At least, that's how artist Anne Marie Price sees it. Originally from Wisconsin, Price now lives in southern California where she creates mosaic art using methods she developed herself.
But all artists need a place to play, exercise, and recharge, and for Price, that's the shore at Huntington Beach, CA. Using shells, stones, and even litter, she creates little mosaics in the sand for other beachgoers to enjoy, and for the wind, tides, and shifting sands to eventually reclaim.
Price's beach mosaics don't last, but that's part of the fun, and the point. For Price, creating these temporary pieces of art is also a great way to meditate on the way everything in life changes, and it's also a way to get some unexpected art out for the public to enjoy, like the street artist in Stockholm who crochets her public art.
Check out some of Price's beachy mosaics below, and the next time you're at the beach, the park, or even in your own backyard, see if you can use what you find to create some artwork!
[H/T: BoredPanda]
Mosaic artist Anne Marie Price started creating these beach mosaics as an easy and peaceful way to practice creativity, using only what she could find around her.
Using shells and shell fragments, stones, and even litter, she started creating these little mosaics in the sand on Huntington Beach in California.
Price says that the practice started simply as a way to exercise her creativity outside of her studio, but it soon evolved into something a little deeper.
"It turned into a practice in letting go," she says.
Because outside of snapping a photo, Price leaves these works of art on the beach, where naturally, they don't last. They get disturbed by the wind, waves, and by other people, but that's OK as far as Price is concerned.
Besides stones and shells, she also experiments with driftwood, sticks, and beach glass.
Each different type of material brings its own unique personality to the mosaic.
Sometimes, even garbage gets a new life as part of one of her pieces.
She also leaves each mosaic behind for other beachgoers to find and hopes that happening upon a little, unexpected piece of art brightens their day.
The practice of creating something and then leaving it behind has made her more comfortable with the idea of change, evolution, and even loss.
"Everything is temporary," she says simply.
And thanks to living near the beach, she has plenty of opportunities to get out and try new things.
Being in a different place, without all the things you've grown comfortable with, is a great way to make yourself think and create in new ways.
When in her studio, Price creates permanent mosaics using glass and stone, all secured together with grout.
Out on the beach, though, she needs to take a slightly different approach, which can lead to all kinds of new ideas.
And after she's gone, someone strolling along the beach might stop and see her artwork, which would be a real treat!
When creating art, Price is fascinated by the idea that although a piece of art might look simple, like just a bunch of shell pieces in the sand, there's a hidden complexity when you look a little closer.
Sometimes, it's all about looking at things in a new way, too. These simple sticks create the outline of a fish when seen together with their shadows.
And talk about temporary! This illusion will only last a few minutes until the angle of the sunlight shifts again.
Price hopes that her artwork on the beach will inspire people to look a little closer at the world around them and find beauty in even the smallest of things.
