Oystermen Artist Project

Mike Plummer WFSU-TV

Michael Harrell is a local artist, brought to WFSU-TV’s attention by one of our viewers. Michael paints in both oils and watercolors and among his nautical themes are depictions of the oystermen of Florida and South Carolina. This video looks at that series of paintings. The thing that I found so beautiful about his work is his ability to capture a sense of time with his portrayal of light. You can find additional information about the artist at MichaelHarrellArt.com.

Our local oystermen, as you see in this video, typically harvest subtidal oyster reefs like those in the Apalachicola Bay.  Michael Harrell also shows South Carolina oystermen harvesting intertidal reefs like those covered in this blog (i.e. Alligator Harbor).  The South Carolina sites of the biogeographic oyster study are sampled by Jeb Byers’ group.