U.S. Pictures: Bill Swartwout Photography - United States Landscape & Seascape Pictures

January 6, 2022January 20, 2022

Dancing Trees on Jekyll Island

These driftwood trees on the beach appear to be having fun.

Well, they are not really dancing but if you tweak your imagination just a bit – they just might be. Dancing, that is, dancing to the beat of a different drummer, one provided by Mother Nature.

Driftwood Trees Dancing at Jekyll Island — Celebrating on center stage are a “couple” of trees that appear to be dancing in the transition zone between the barren driftwood and the lush marshland of Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Driftwood Beach is akin to a “scene from another world” on the northern end of Jekyll Island, Georgia. It is a picturesque place featuring numerous driftwood trees and parts of trees. This mystical place was created by years of erosion that caused many trees to topple into the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean and die. While driftwood is a form of marine debris, or tidewrack, is can also be quite beautiful and even mysterious. The salinity of the ocean water tends to preserve the trees for many decades – if not longer.

Some people ask: “Do you actually display your work in your own home?”

“Of course I do!,” says Bill Swartwout. “If I don’t believe my work is suitable for display in my home how could I expect someone else to purchase it for their home or office?”

Here is a (cell phone) picture of my “Dancing Trees” matted and framed and hanging in a prominent place in our home. It is in a location that everyone who visits will see it. It has received many compliments, which makes me happy that I am displaying such a unique piece for others to enjoy.

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This scene is also available in an Expressionism Presentation and as a simulated Charcoal Drawing. Use the links below to see which you like the best. (I certainly will appreciate your response in a comment below.)

Expressionism Presentation: FAA Gallery
Simulated Charcoal Drawing: FAA Gallery

January 5, 2022January 20, 2022

Old Barn Near Bethany Beach, DE

Agriculture is still the foundation of America

American agriculture remains the backbone of a healthy and prosperous nation. Times do change, however, but old barns serve as a reminder of good times in the growth of the U.S.

This old barn, in a goldtone presentation, stands at a crossroads near the towns of Bethany Beach and Ocean View in southern Sussex County, Delaware. The weathered barn siding, the mottled coloration and the cute eye-like windows present the perfect slice of Americana as a picturesque structure reminding us of the old days of farming on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Link: for prints at my Fine Art America Gallery.

Link: for prints (w/ free shipping) at my Pictorem Gallery.

January 4, 2022January 22, 2022

Just Before Sunrise on Driftwood Beach

The darkest hour may be just before dawn but…

The colors of dawn, pre-sunrise, can be simply beautiful. Here is a dawn photograph of an iconic lone tree silhouetted against the brightening and colorful sky on Driftwood Beach in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

Driftwood Beach is on the northern end of Jekyll Island, one of Georgia’s Golden Isles, and is a picturesque place featuring numerous driftwood trees and parts of trees. This “scene from another world” was created by years of erosion that caused trees of a marine forest to topple into the salt water of the Atlantic ocean and die. While it is a form of marine debris, or tidewrack, is can also be quite beautiful and even mysterious. The salinity of the ocean water tends to preserve the trees for many decades – if not longer.

Whenever we travel south – from Delaware to South Carolina, Georgia or Florida, we like to take a side trip to Jekyll Island. Any trip to Jekyll means a walk on the beach because it is a beautiful and wondrous place to be, morning, noon or night. Yes, we have done all three – from sunrise over the Atlantic to moonrise over the beach – and all times in between.

Link for prints: Bill’s Fine Art America Gallery

Link for prints – just at sunrise: Bill’s Pictorem Gallery (w/free shipping in the U.S.)

January 2, 2022January 22, 2022

Historic Beacons on the St. Joseph Breakwater

These historic “lighthouses” are on Lake Michigan

Two historic beacons on a breakwater. At the entrance of the St. Joseph River on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan are two lights, the St. Joseph North Pierhead Lighthouse and the St. Joseph North Pier Inner Lighthouse.

These two aids to navigation date back to the early 1900’s to help guide ships safely into the harbor – shared by St. Joseph and Benton Harbor, MI.

The image was presented in an almost “painterly” fashion by Mother Nature. Only a small amount of editing was done in post-processing – just cropping and a bit of contrast adjustment. It is also available in a black and white version that gives this nautical scene a different feel that might work well as wall art in an office.