French Parasol + Shibumi

French Parasol + Shibumi by Charleston artist Nick Kawczynski is an original pen-and-watercolor work created while the artist was sitting on the beach—a wonderfully funny little snapshot of modern beach life with a nod to one of cinema’s most famous scenes.

In Nick’s version, a Shibumi beach shade lounges dramatically in the sand while asking a traditional beach umbrella, “Draw me like one of your French parasols.” It’s an unmistakable wink at Titanic, reimagined through the very specific visual language of a South Carolina beach day.

Drawn by hand in pen and finished with watercolor, the piece has the loose lines, washes of color, and offbeat humor that make Nick’s work so distinctive. The umbrellas, beach chairs, cooler, sand, and tiny bits of beach grass all feel observed rather than staged—which makes perfect sense, since Nick painted the piece while sitting right there on the beach.

French Parasol + Shibumi is an original work of art, not a reproduction or print. Equal parts coastal artwork and inside joke, it’s an especially fun piece for anyone who knows exactly what a Shibumi is—or simply appreciates Nick’s wonderfully irreverent take on life along the South Carolina coast.

Its approachable size also makes French Parasol + Shibumi an especially fun and easy gift. The artwork fits beautifully into a standard 8″ × 10″ frame—no custom framing required—and we keep plenty of ready-made 8″ × 10″ frames at Gray Man Gallery if you’d like to make it gift-ready before it leaves the shop.

Available at Gray Man Gallery in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

10"W x 8"H