Discover South County Sea Glass and Rock Art: when Bill Bird retired from Spencer, MA to South Kingstown, RI nearly 10 years ago, he was looking for a new activity to channel his creative energy. After a career in the postal service and 30 years (!!) in the Coast Guard, Bill today enjoys pensive walks along the shores of South County, RI where he searches for authentic sea glass and unusual south county rocks.
billbirdfarm@verizon.net
Make an appointment by calling Bill (no texting) at 401.792.7013
From those beginnings was born Bill’s Sea Glass and Rock Art business. It’s like a pop-up Etsy shop within biking distance of Green Hill Beach! In his home’s driveway at 200 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road, you’ll find Bill many weekends, in his garage, working on his creations and welcoming anyone to stop and take a look.
A Bike Ride from Green Hill Beach
Yesterday I was pleased to come across Bill’s display of chimes on my bike ride and was delighted to learn more about his handmade creations. Made entirely of natural items from the Atlantic Seashore, there is an array of colorful sea glass and rock art chimes to choose from. No two chimes are alike. They come in varied sizes and are delightful.
Bill and I got into an animated conversation about his South County Sea Glass and Rock Art business, what his beach walk are like (including the special local spots to get the best sea glass), and how some chimes take years to design, because they come from his rock and sea glass collections that have been gathered slowly over time.
One of the prettiest colors of sea glass in Bill’s chimes is a blue-green color. Bill explained that this particular glass originated as insulator bells, that were in high production in the early 1900s. During that period millions of glass insulator “bells” were produced for electrical poles, most in shades of aqua, and blue-green colored glass. When disposed of into the ocean, the sea did a great job of recycling these glass pieces into treasures that Bill finds today and uses in his artful chimes.
Bill’s wife is a painter and along with the chimes and rock art, you can also shop for painted pieces of functional and decorative furniture. Everything is reasonably priced and a treasure. I highly recommend you visit 200 Matunuck Schoolhouse Road this summer and check out Bill Bird’s Sea Glass and Rock Art!
About Sea Glass
Sea glass is found along ocean beaches. They are beautiful, frosted, smooth pieces of glass. Some people call them sea gems, beach jewels, mermaid’s tears, and sea pearls! They’ve been smooth over by time in the tumbling action of water, waves and sand. The same is the case with the iconic rocks of South County beaches that Bill also features in his art. Today, sea glass can be harder to find than in the past. Not only are more people collecting it, but sadly many glass items have been replaced by plastic.