"Coming Home" 8"x10" Print
BREAKING NEWS: We interrupt today's doomscrolling for this lovely lady crab! Lately I've been waxing nostalgic in anticipation of returning to Maryland for an art show for the first time in about 10 years. I wanted to create a few really special pieces for this upcoming show, and my husband immediately concluded that I had to draw a crab. My initial thought was "too cliché," "already been done.... by like 100000 other Maryland artists!" But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. But how could I put my own spin on it? How I could I show a crab as more than just a meal?
The scientific name for the Atlantic Blue Crab (which was news to me, I always assumed they were Chesapeake Blue Crabs!) is Callinectes sapidus, which literally translates to "beautiful savory swimmer." Even Latin wasn't helping me get away from showing the crab as dinner! I spent a really long time doing research, and thinking about how I wanted to depict her- yes, her, you can tell by the red tips on her claws, versus the blue/violet/or purple of the males. For one thing, I decided to draw a female specifically because the lay crabsman (I don't think that's a real term but I'll use it here anyway) don't catch and eat the females.
C. sapidus prefers brackish water, but for the juvenile part of their life cycle, a higher level of salinity is required. I decided to break this composition into two parts: fresh water on the left, salt water on the right, thus brackish in the middle.
The plant on the left (Water Stargrass, Heteranthera dubia) lives primarily in fresh water tributaries of the Bay. On the right is the essential Eelgrass (Zostera marina), which grows in the saltier parts of the Bay and is a crucial part of the crab's habitat, providing shelter, hiding spots, and places to find food. I included several other species of Chesapeake Bay fauna- many of which happen to be favorite foods of crabs, who are scavengers. Featured on the right, we have a little minnow friend (Fundulus heteroclitus). In the center, we have Atlantic Ribbed Mussels (Geukensia demissa), Hard Clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), and, of course, the obligatory Eastern Oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Last but not least near the top is the familiar and ubiquitous Marsh Periwinkle, Littorina irrorata.
My goal with this illustration is to teach a little something about crabs... besides just eating them!
The standard 8"x10" size is easily matted into an 11"x14" mat and frame. A great size for any room! (Frame is not included, shown for demonstration/inspiration purposes only.)
The print comes to you in a compostable protective plastic sleeve with a hard backing and is signed by me. My 8"x10" prints will arrive on paper larger than 8"x10" to add some "wiggle-room" if you are putting the print under a mat. The print can be trimmed down to fit without a mat into an 8"x10" frame.