Coves

One of the reasons Mace and I moved to Cape Ann from Pennsylvania, was that I was totally enchanted by the rocky coast.  I love the sea, and I enjoy sitting on a granite stone for an hour or two, watching the waves. I think of coves as small sheltered inlets of the sea. Typically, the land curves inward. Coves have appealed to me as metaphors for a sheltering place, such as a house or a shed. Coves differ from a harbor, (which are also common on the coast), in that the harbor has water deep enough for boats to rest there. Harbors protect the coast from the rough waters of the open sea, whereas coves are much gentler and are swimmable inlets.
There are 29 coves on Cape Ann itself. One winter day, a long while ago, I went out to visit as many of the coves that I could find. I cut plates the same size, (10x14), and set about making my matrix, or plates. Most of the coves have ingenious names that came from who knows where. By happenstance, Mace and I built our new house on Goose Cove. So far, I haven’t seen one goose on it. However, I do love it so much, but, as yet, I haven’t made a plate of it.

Braces Cove Medium - Collagraph
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One of my favorite places to walk is this cove. It is a little larger than most of the coves, and is in quite a remote area. It is a wonderful spot for a picnic. What I was most concerned about, while creating the print, was what part would be light colors, and what would be dark. The final piece is created from my own poetic interpretation, as I added some weeds, and also some other small additions that I made from random plants. (It is not a literal picture of this place.)
Dodsworth Cove
Medium - Collagraph
Size
Price This small cove is far away from the other coves; located across Highway 128. There’s a stunning view of a faux castle, as well as other monuments. I like the way the sun sets here with it’s blaze of color.
Smuggler’s Cove
Medium - Collagraph
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This cove is on the edge of Tortola, which is a small island in the Caribbean. It had a lovely beach that, unfortunately, was hit by a hurricane. I include this in the line up because it’s a cherished place to lay down in the sand. It is much more primitive than the Cape Ann coves, and very hard to get to through the jungle. I have been told that most of the big trees have been knocked down.
Ladder Cove
Medium - Collagraph
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Price This is a winter scene of a cove that people with small boats use to get in and out. Of course, the walls are made of the local granite and you can see trees on either side. I like it because it’s different from all the other coves; man made with reason.
Lobster Cove
Medium - Collagraph
Size
Price This cove sheltered the opening for an underground tunnel, where former slaves could get into the cellar of the house. My family rented this house while our new house was being built. The cove also sheltered the boarding houses, where the finished stone masons lived while they were assigned to work in the inland
Straitsmouth Cove
Medium - Collagraph
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On this variant, you can see the small lighthouse in the middle. I added this so the viewer could see how different two similar prints can be. In this instance, they are called “variants”.
Divers Cove
Medium - Collagraph
Size
Price This cove is another from the Caribbean. To enter one of the underground swimming dub-terrain baths, you first must walk through the stalactites (an icicle made from lava). Those stones could not be found on Cape Ann. The Cape Ann stones are much more modest. Notice the strong darks in this print. That happened because I used carborundum.
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