"Marsh Grass Margins" is a project that examines the marsh ecosystem of Charleston through a series of paintings of textures found in the pluff mud at two separate saltmarsh locations on the South Carolina coast. To create these paintings, pluff mud collected at these locations was dried and ground into sand, which was then mixed with various binders in order to use the sand as paint. Using sand from the source of the loosely referential paintings allows the viewer to consider the context and history found within each grain of sand, each section of pluff mud. The paintings were created with sand, gouache paint and colored pencils. The paintings are paired with information about the marsh's importance and relevance to coastal residents of South Carolina. The choice to use sand from the source of the paintings invites the viewer to consider each individual grain as part of a larger network that sustains life within the mud itself and in the waters surrounding it. Spartina grass, one of the few plants able to grow in the saltwater marsh, has deep, strong roots that allow it to be anchored in pluff mud. When the grass dies back in the fall, it is decomposed into detritus, which acts as the beginning of the food chain in the saltmarsh as it nourishes zooplankton, shellfish, snails, and more. Therefore, pluff mud is extremely critical to all life in the marsh, and each piece of mud, or grain of sand from the mud, has a history of many living beings. By painting with these sands, I am able to contextualize my work and represent the history and importance behind the images we see. The paintings are loosely referential, created to show texture and variety at each different location.
- Sophie Bello