Karin Shoup – La Mer 2

Description

The La Mer journey began with a walk on Dog beach after a severe storm. Among the debris left by the sea, I found a child’s sandal, a work glove, toy binoculars, a surfer’s jock, and a Croc – ordinary objects transformed by their voyages at sea. These beach-found objects became the heart of three mixed media paintings on canvas, layered with collage elements painted separately during another body of work. Together they found a new home in the ocean. Each piece explores the sea as a living world – luminous layers teeming with fish, plants, and organisms – where human traces wash in uninvited. A child’s sandal drifts among sea life. A work glove cascades over violet waves. Plastic relics sink into the deep. The ocean holds it all, beautiful and burdened. The La Mer series reflects my belief that nothing exists alone. Our discarded objects don’t disappear – they enter ecosystems, they drift, they linger. These paintings are an invitation to pause, look closer