VINTAGE OCEAN CITY FISHING

"Vintage Ocean City Fishing" 2014 (24" x 36")  mixed media

The fishing in Ocean City, Maryland can be, at times, superb. There are tournaments in the White Marlin Capital of the World featuring deep sea fishing for the aforementioned Marlin and a variety of big game fish including tuna and sharks. But for most of us we like to putt-putt in a little motor boat to catch some pan-size fish like perch or some blue crabs for a proudly-caught, home-made meal. As you enter OC from Route 50, the bridge is usually lined with fishermen and women of all sizes and shapes. They always appear to be intently focused on their task at hand. Thinking of this reminds to to say that if you don't want to own or rent a boat you can usually find a spot on one of the many piers located on the island. There are many on the bay side and of course the grand pier on the Atlantic side.
 In my extensive collection of vintage Del-Mar-Va ephemera I noticed that the fishing category deserved a collage of its own. There are tide tables and fishing tips as well as photos of the Bunting fishing boats. I've also included images of some of my fishing lure paintings and of course our Maryland steamed crabs. Posters of the collage are now for sale in my Etsy shop for those who would like to purchase one on line.

2014 Baltimore Calendar

Well it is here. My first wall calendar for 2014. Beginning with November 2013, it consists of Baltimore images from my original artwork.

Cover - unfolded - of Baltimore Calendar.

Package insert depicting all the images used inside the calendar.

Each month features a single, square image of one of my paintings. For example Domino Sugars is the image for November 2013. At the bottom of each month is a short description of the painting

and a bit of my stories about the picture. The calendar measures 10.5" high by 5.25" wide.

June 2014 might be the favorite month with many local Baltimoreans.

December 2014

So far the response has been very, very positive. I've been selling them at art fairs and shows in great numbers. You can find them in my Etsy shop. And they are also carried in some local shops and museums such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, With Gratitude, Hontown and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The calendar price is $20.

For the cover I used a piece of my Food Galore collage which by now many of you have hanging in your homes and offices. I say this because sales of the poster size print have been very, very good since last year when it was introduced. And it really inspired me to do the calendar as a follow up project.

Food Galore in Baltimore

Thank you all for your wonderful enthusiasm and support of my work. I never stop being surprised that people like to look at what I need to create. Thank you again from the bottom of my Baltimore heart.

FOOD GALORE IN BALTIMORE

"Food Galore in Baltimore" 2012 mixed media (24" x 36")

Baltimore, Maryland is loaded with tons and tons of stories and historical facts about food. The richness of the Chesapeake Bay's fish, crabs and oysters supported many families for hundreds of years. The abundance of fruit and vegetables planted and harvested on Maryland's Eastern Shore was easily transported to the busy harbor by a fleet of steamships making daily crossings. While the raw bounty of the state was delivered to the city's bustling docks, men and women went to work to feed not only our residents but nearly the entire country. Baltimore was once called the pantry of the nation and it's easy to see why. We had  a mass of canneries to preserve the  food for storage and future consumption. Many small businesses were able to survive on the rich bounty that was all ours to prepare, serve and sell. The restaurants, grocery stores and markets all profited from the delicious cornucopia of food stuffs that were easily and locally acquired. And we cannot forget the foreign banana boats that swarmed our harbor making us the banana capital of the county! Over the years I have collected all sorts of match books, labels, invoices, ads, brochures and photographs relating to Baltimore's food industry. I made this collage during the summer of 2012. I like looking at all this stuff and when I see how many prints of this collage have sold, I can only draw the conclusion that many of you like to look at it too. Bon Appetit!

OLD BAY & NATTY BOH

©2011 CHARLENE CLARK
“Old Bay and Natty Boh and News”  2011
oil paint on board (16” x 20”)

As a collector of McCormick and other brands of spice tins, from time to time I like to compare the old to the new. The 1950 container of  Old Bay Seafood Seasoning (included in the painting above) features a crab, a shrimp and a lobster on the cardboard package topped by a golden tin lid. Baltimore Spice Company is given credit as the manufacturer since McCormick did not yet have the label. At some point the Old Bay label changed from “Seafood Seasoning” to “Seasoning for Seafood, Poultry, Salads and Meats." Look for yourself, it’s there on your pantry shelf now with a red plastic lid. National Bohemian beer bottles have changed, too. I have a few of the early rocket style bottles (one included here in the painting).  Mister Boh has evolved from a vague, one-eyed, yet fully mustachioed, character to a much bolder graphic version of himself. Even though our hometown beer, brewed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, moved out of state several years ago, the loyal following remains in Baltimore. In fact the Boh-mania among young people seems stronger than ever.  We just love our steamed crabs and beer !

OLD BAY SEAFOOD SEASONING

"Old Bay with Crab Wallpaper" 2010

oil on board ( 11" x 14")

Oh boy are we Baltimoreans possessive of our Old Bay seasoning! As far back as I can remember, it was coveted by just about everyone I knew. After all most of my friends and family loved to steam and eat the bountiful blue crabs of the Chesapeake Bay region. Gosh we were so proud to have the spice manufactured right here and equally delighted to share our secret with outsiders. Many families shipped the cheerful yellow tins to the less fortunate who lived outside the area where Old Bay was nowhere to be found. I seem to remember an air of mystery about the ingredients. My best, childhood-friend Charlotte, who still loves food, and I studied the box and considered duplicating the spicy seasoning. Somehow we never attempted this in either of our mothers' kitchens.

"Old Bay with Cherries" 2010

oil on canvas ( 16" x 20")

The original recipe was invented by a German immigrant named Gustav Brunn. According to the Old Bay web site, the original name was "Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning." It was wisely renamed "Old Bay" which was the name of the steamship line that had a huge building located on Light Street -- approximately where the Harborplace pavilion now sits.

"McCormick Seafood Seasoning" 2010

oil on board (8" x 8")

Of course in my personal collection of old spice tins, which are mainly the McCormick and Bee Brand products, I have an assortment of Old Bay and related tins. Here is an interesting observation assisted by memory. The 1950 container of " Old Bay Seafood Seasoning" features a crab, a shrimp and a lobster on the cardboard package. The lid is a gold colored tin. Baltimore Spice Company is given credit as the manufacturer. I remember that McCormick at the time had their brand of Seafood seasoning which was supposed to mirror the flavor of Old Bay. It was not popular around these parts for obvious reasons. The packaging was colorful and had a nice illustration of a red crab and some shrimp on the label. But to loyal Old Bay lovers it felt unreliable and uncool.

"Old Bay" 2010

oil on canvas (8" x 10")

Not sure when Old Bay decided to change the label from "Seafood Seasoning" to "Seasoning for Seafood, Poultry, Salads and Meats" but it is there on the shelf with its red plastic lid. (see it for yourself on your own pantry shelf - I rarely paint objects that are still available) I have read that in 1990 the Baltimore Spice Company let go of their precious Old Bay and laid it in the responsible hands of our McCormick and Company now located in Hunt Valley, MD. Thank goodness we still make this precious commodity right here on the outskirts of Crabtown. I shudder to imagine the uproar if ever the manufacturing of"our" beloved spice was relocated.

And here is a sample of one of my other spice tin paintings:

"Ginger, Allspice, Cream of Tartar" 2009

oil on canvas (11" x 14")