The Bay Shore Series by Carl B. Johnson
I often paint plein-air, a dirty french term meaning to paint in the open space, on location rather than in a studio. Plein air offers it's own challeneges, such as swarms of green head flies, a pestilence unique to the Bay Shore region of south Jersey.

The Bayshore Region encompasses the Delaware Bay and the small towns surrounding the tributaries. Millville, NJ was buit around the Maurice River, a major tributary into the bay. I include some of the disappearing landmarks of our historic city. I also paint some of the new members of our area.

These images are a few of many that I have painted of this unique area. When most people think New Jersey they imagine the tank farms of Bayonne, the odors of Secaucus (the jokes goes: I dated a girl who asked me to kiss her where it smells, so I took her to Secaucus) and Tony Soprano. South Jersey is a completely different world, and it is this part of NJ that I sought to capture with this series.

The stacks of the Ball Foster Plant in south Millville were a landmark for years. Alas, they are no longer, except as captured in old photographs and this painting.

Tappan Rd. leads to the Delaware Bay outside of Greenwich (pronounced Green Witch). East Point Lighthouse is my one and only lighthouse painting. I am not particulalry fond of lighthouses or lighthouse painters; painting East Point is a right of passage of a south Jersey artist.

The Burcham Twins owned the last dike farm in south Jersey along the Maurice River. In the last century the entire landscape around the river consisted of dike farms, all of which have been reclaimed by the river. The Burcham Farm is the last operational dike farm.

Belleview Winery in Buena (pronounced Bue-Na) is a local winery with an excellent selection of wines from local grapes.

The Cashier is an oyster boat with the first Oyster License in NJ. It is being restored by the Bayshore Discovery Project, and they have a big job ahead of them. Currently in dock, the bilge pump is running constantly just to keep the boat afloat, as it lists to one side.

They did a wonderful job restoring the A.J. Meerwald, New Jersey's offical tall ship. The Meerwald was an oyster schooner during the days when Bivalve, Shellpile and Port Norris were leaders in the world's oyster industry.