Winter Beach
by Jeanette French
Title
Winter Beach
Artist
Jeanette French
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
High winds chase the storm tides inland, stirring up great mounds of foam and then chasing them down the beach. This photograph was taken on the Washington coast during a midwinter storm.
The beach is the shoreline at the edge of a body of water. The landform of the beach is often composed of loose particles like sand, pebbles, shells and shell fragments, the result of the endless deposit and scouring actions of wave and current.
The agitation of seawater by wind and weather creates sea foam, sometimes known as spume. In big storms there can be a breaking up of algae blooms. As the big breaker waves churn along the shoreline, this dissolved organic matter acts as a foaming agent or surfactant, supporting the formation of bubbles that stick together through surface tension. Because of the density and stickiness of this kind of foam, it is easily blown inland by strong on-shore winds.
The angle of the axis of the Earth relative to the plane of its orbit has a big effect on weather. In the Northern Hemisphere winter season, this area is tilted away from the sun. The reverse is true during the summer season.
Meteorological winter is defined by meteorologists as the lowest three consecutive calendar months with the lowest average temperatures. The three month winter period changes, depending on how far north the area is located.
Astronomical winter is defined the position of the earth in its solar orbit. Winter solstice usually signals the beginning of the astronomical winter and the vernal equinox signals the end of it. The coldest weather in the Northern Hemisphere usually follows the shortest day of daylight, winter solstice.
Ecological winter does not use calendar timings at all, focusing instead of the period of hibernating dormancy exhibited by biological forms, both plant and animal.
Creating portals of light, love, joy, beauty, compassion, hope and gratitude is my lifelong passion and gift for the earth, hence the name of my art business, For the Earth. My mother painted in oils when I was young and encouraged my own drawing, painting and handcrafting in all forms. My father, the photographer, gave me my first camera at age 8. As a result of these loving influences, I am a lifelong student of both mediums. I am grateful to my wonderful Pacific NW painter teachers, Stan Capon and Edi Olson, for training my eye and technique. I hope you will enjoy this image as much as I enjoyed its creation. More gifts for the earth can be found at these websites: jeanette-french.artistwebsites.com and jeanette-french.pixels.com.
Uploaded
January 11th, 2013
Embed
Share
