"A friend and I decided to take a trip to Hilton Head and
Charleston, S.C. It was just before July 4, the weather was that
typical sweet Carolina summer, lots of happy vacationers and
gas was still relatively cheap. Many associate Hilton Head with
high-end developments and houses, but there are still many natural
scenic sites there. The best way to find them is to ask the local
folk, and it seemed Skull Cove was mentioned more than once.
After taking many wrong turns and 45 minutes longer to get there
than it should've, we found it. This area is a beautiful marshy
one. I'm just guessing, but it seems the name may have come from
from the many old fishing boats that were dragged there to just
sit or rot (like skulls and bones) and become a fish hangout.
I remember hopping off the pier into the marsh grass and hearing
the clickety click of the small crabs scurrying about because
I disturbed their afternoon siesta.
During the course of working on the painting, I decided that
someone fishing would be a nice addition. Being that it was around
10:00A.M.(everyone at work), and I couldn't think of any old
salt to call and model, I decided that I would be just as good
as anybody. So that's just what I did. There I am in overalls
and hip-waders. I'm wearing a red shirt to add a splash of color."
- Phillip Philbeck |