At the 'Oestergat'

 

During our short stay in a vacation home in Kortgene we also walked in other areas of the islands. This scene is on the North coast of the island of Noord-Beveland, at the Oosterschelde. These waters are still connected to the North Sea, but the inlets are protected now, after the huge flood in 1953 dams were constructed. Not all dams are permanently closed and the Oosterschelde still has salt water and tides.

This scene is a remainder of the past, the 'Oestergat' or Oyster Hole was made to keep the oysters fresh and alive before they were sold and transported inland. The basalt blocks and stones have different textures and the hole is protected by a small harbour-like structure with an inlet for the water and of course for the boats that brought the oysters in from the sea. The seagulls and oystercatchers are still finding oysters and the coastline is scattered with broken shells - the birds drop the oysters from the air to break the shells so they can eat the flesh.

Nowadays we are only allowed to walk on the stones, the mudflats are forbidden for people, this is an area of very fragile nature. I walked down as far as was allowed and made some pictures to have references for my drawings and maybe for some future watercolour paintings. For this drawing I tried to show the shapes and textures of the basalt blocks contrasting to the mudflats and the dyke in the background. 

The information about the materials I have used, the size, the price and the availability of this charcoal drawing can all be found in my Tumblr blog.