A Golden Orb Weaver spider built her web beside the sliding glass door next to the main easel in my studio. It was unsettling to be that close to such a large spider at first (4" if you include the legs) but now it's a joy to watch her (and it didn't hurt that she took care of the wasp problem that our bug guy couldn't solve). When her food supply dwindled, she moved over a few feet to be in full sun where she's faring much better. She rebuilds parts of her web every day. When it rains she hangs onto her web by two back feet (!) and swings in the breeze letting the drops (fierce in this week's storms) roll right down her back. When the storm is over she is still for a while and then goes back to work, knitting with her back legs something no human sculptor could reproduce in its delicacy, strength, and breathtaking geometry. As I struggle to find balance in my current circumstances, I find comfort in her presence. I like her unflagging persistence, the way she rides out storms day after day after day, and the constant dismantling and reworking of her web. I seem to be getting spiritual instruction from my tiny monstrous muse.

Michele Seekings' kitchen, my Tomato Series. Image from ArtMag Magazine.

August 30, 2015

My work is featured in ArtMag's "The Collectors Series" about Mike and Michele Seekings' extensive art collection.

Sunset from my King Street porch. All images and content ©2010- 2015 Honor Marks.

June 24, 2010

The house across the street is called O'Donnell's Folly. I know its history all too well after hearing the carriage tour guides tell the story about 8 times a day for ten years. Patrick O'Donnell was a wealthy merchant who fell in love with a beautiful young woman. When they got engaged he told her he wanted to build her a house as beautiful as she was before they got married. It took him so long to complete the house that she ran off with another man and so the house became known as O'Donnell's Folly.

Although the tour guides say he lived his life as 'a broken hearted bachelor' in the house, I have a feeling O'Donnell was more interested in the house than the woman. Its beautiful and I am blessed to see it in the morning when I open the curtains. In the evening I watch the sunset turn its grey stucco walls pink and lavender. They date the house to 1851 and it's for sale if you'd like to be my neighbor...

Dragon

June 23, 2010

I've been walking around feeling pretty hopeless and then I ran into this guy. How can you be hopeless in a world where people are flyin' around on stained glass wings?

September 29, 2009

Charleston Magazine has featured me in their October artist profile.

Horseshoe Crab, 6x12, oil on canvas, private collection, ©2009 Honor Marks

September 25, 2009

I paint native and endangered wildflowers and the occasional beach find as well. I am well versed in wildflower lore and love researching the species I've been painting. Take this horseshoe crab for instance. Despite the name, horseshoe crabs are not crabs but are related to arachnids (spiders, scorpions). The scientific name Lunataspis aurora, means "crescent moon shield of the dawn." Dating back 450 million years (long before dinosaurs) these creatures are literally living fossils. Today, marine shorelines worldwide are being threatened by human activity and horseshoe crab populations have suffered. In South Carolina it is illegal to possess or kill a horseshoe crab. Although populations are currently declining, they have successfully weathered many previous crises including the mass extinction that saw the demise of the dinosaurs and 95% of sea life 65 million years ago. The horseshoe crab survived.