Where most saw an opportunity to build a treehouse or a new garden shed, one man saw art.
David Holtek, an American artist living in Ramsgate, collected three pieces of wood from the shoreline in January.
His beachcombing was prompted by a scavenging bonanza in Thanet as wood washed ashore around the isle's coast.
It came from the Russian vessel Sinegorsk, which lost its load in the English Channel en route to Egypt from Sweden.
Tonnes of the cargo came ashore in Ramsgate, and while most who took the wood used it for more practical purposes, 46year-old David decided to create three unique pieces of art on the bits he took home.
He painted each one to show scenes commemorating the events.
David, a native of the midwestern state of Ohio, said:“It took me a while since I had other ongoing projects, but I have completed them now. I hope that they will be of interest to local people.”
On what inspired him to put brush to timber, David said:“Me being me.
"I did a whimsical take on the whole event and tried to have some fun with it.
"In part, I hope that my work might inspire others, particularly young people, to always be on the look-out for new ways to perceive and capture events happening around us.
"I also hope the paintings will make a small contribution to the historic record of a quite unusual happening. In this age where everyone has a camera, to draw or paint something like this gives the event a different context.
"Artwork seems to have a little more longevity when recording these events.
"I looked at the pieces of wood and thought they'd make a very good canvas. Most of my other stuff is pretty surreal and strange, but I'm not sure if this falls into that category. I just hope people enjoy it in some way.”
David says he has not decided whether to sell the pieces and wants to gauge the level of interest.
They will be on show at an exhibition at the Belgian Café in Ramsgate in July.
In the meantime, visit David's website at http://artvice.com/ to see the pieces and his other work.
POSTED: 14/05/2009 10:48:47
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