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| Blue Crab Shedding Shacks These whitewashed crab shedding shacks were painted on a bright sunny day on location at Chessconessex Creek, VA. I sat on a pier in the foreground and painted the sunlight sparkling on the surface of the moving water with wet-on-wet watercolor. Blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, are native to the western edge of the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia to Argentina. Each spring, small boats like the ones in this painting set traps or dredge for hard-shell blue crabs in Maryland and Virginia's back bays. Crabs with signs of molting are separated from the catch and put into crab shedding trays often housed in shacks with running seawater. After molting (before the new shell has had time to harden), soft shell crabs are usually served fresh and not frozen. "Softshells" will be on a local or New York restaurant table less than 24 hours after the crab molts. Softshell crab is a gourmet delicacy. Cut off the crab's face, belly flap or apron, and the gills. Then dredge it in a seasoned flour mixture, fry crispy, and serve on a hamburger roll with tartar sauce or catsup. The original watercolor is in a private collection but limited edition prints and note cards are available. |
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