The March of the Steamed Crabs
by Jane McElvany Coonce

This weekend I had a marathon painting session.  After setting up this still life, I painted  Saturday, Sunday and Monday until I finished my latest painting in my crab series.  I froze the crabs each evening so they wouldn't stink up the studio.  I had found the tea towel with the crab motif down at Rehoboth Beach, and I've been waiting to use it in a still life.  The biggest challenge was the holes of the steamer, but it was actually fun to do.  The holes also cast an interesting pattern on the table top.

Now, I just need to do a few more crab paintings, and then I'll have enough to do a show somewhere with just my crab series.

The best part of doing this series is that I never know how many crabs to buy.  When I went down to Maine Ave in DC, I bought a dozen.  I only used 5 in the still life.  So guess what?  I ate the rest!