Capturing the Ocean’s Spell… in an Altoids Tin

When I’m on the beach, anything feels possible. There’s something about all that vast expanse of open space and air, the  bright light and the shifting shades of blue that seems to open the heart and the mind to life. We humans are drawn to the ocean and we seek to represent its beauty and rekindle the feelings of wonder and expansiveness it evokes in our art and decor. This is part of the appeal of shells and shellwork — they’re lovely little objects on their own, and they can’t help but remind us of the ocean’s magic.

Idea Debt

Every time I pick up a pretty bit from the beach, I have a project in mind. And here’s where I run into a problem — I have a lot of shells which means I have a lot of undone projects drifting around in my head. Have you ever heard of “idea debt”? I first came across the concept in the book Growing Gills by Jessica Abel. Jesica explains how having a whole bunch of ideas “swimming around in the brain” can cause an undercurrent of anxiety because at all times, some part of the brain has to be devoted to processing them.

I have shelves full of idea debt. For the past decade (?) inspiration has haunted me and I’ve been gathering up the things she points out on the beach, at antique malls, from paper stores, etc. and stuffing them in cardboard garden-center plant trays. As I said in the January newsletter, my mission in 2020 is to work through, theme by theme, some of the deepest piles of idea debt. Which brings us back to the “Sanibel Collection”. These are the projects I’m currently working on, the plan is to have them done sometime in February.

I’m not even sure when I started these small assemblages made from Altoids tins. The “Neptune’s Castle” picture was part of an advent calendar, and the tiny vintage postcard print? I’m not really sure where I got that. I was intrigued by jewelry made with an image encased in resin and I had the idea to set the resin-covered images among shellwork. At one point I think I was calling them “Mermaid Windows”, but I don’t think I’ll stick with that title. They’re meant to go under a glass cloche, or they could stand on their own. I came so close to completing them! I’m not sure why I shelved them, but the only things left to do are to finish the shell frames around the mouths of the tin and mount them on a shell and rock base. It may be that last step that side-tracked me, not sure exactly how that’s going to happen.

Finishing the shell frames will be easy; here’s a tip on gluing shells to a base:

I think I need a new glue gun.

Prepped substrates and a “practice” watercolor

Next up: lettering, watercolor and shells. There are so many fantastic sayings about the sea. Even a single word — I once did a lovely little shadowbox that featured the word “Persevere”, can be evocative when placed among shells. (No picture of that piece, unfortunately.) There are two, possibly three, quotes that I want to place on a watercolor background set among shells. I have the bases ready and painted, from a while ago. At the time I painted the substrates, I also tried a watercolor with lettering (in photo to right) but was not happy with the results. The project went back on the shelf. This time I’m going to try a slightly different format for the quotes but still surround them with shells.

Here are two techniques for filling in a large area with shells:

I used Artisan Enhancements Pearl Plaster

I’m also working on some beach-themed art cards. I’m (going to be) painting small, almost abstract watercolors of the water. The paintings will be paired with a strip of fabric collage suggesting the beach.

I save ziplock bags full of bits and scraps of lace and fabric just for collage. The fabric collage strips are in progress, as shown in the photo of my worktable on the left. I love to work on cards because they’re small and quickly completed, allowing for lots of experimentation with techniques and mediums.

One last project to share, and this one is actually completed. It simply required several coats of varnish, and a label and hanging mechanism on the back, and it was done. Sunshine State doesn’t include shellwork but it is all about the beach. I had an incentive to finish this one — it’s headed to Florida to be in the silent auction at the Rotary Sanibel Arts and Crafts fair over President’s Day weekend.

I hope it reminds someone of exactly what they love about the beach.

Sunshine State, mixed media collage on 12x12 wood artist’s panel

Gifts from the Sea

Do you find it hard to walk across a beach and not look for shells? I do. They are so alluring with their soft colors and curving shapes — little bits of sculpture that the sea just tosses nonchalantly up on the shore.

Souvenir shell box from the late 19th or early 20th century that (I believe) belonged to my great grandmother.

Since before our girls were born we have spent many if not most of our vacations on Sanibel Island, FL.  Sanibel is famous for its amazing shells. The way shells collect on the beaches has something to do with how the island is positioned— like a boomerang, off the south west coast of Florida. While I’m not totally clear on the oceanography behind it, the gulf waters spit up shells by the bucketful on Sanibel’s beaches and shelling is a very popular activity. I’m kind of obsessed; I sometimes have to forcefully remind myself to look at the beautiful water, the sky . . . but it’s so meditative to gather shells.  Each little gem I pick up, from the teeny, tiny perfect Murex to the random rectangular fragment with edges worn as smooth as glass — tells me something about what it could be.

The pieces in the photo collage above are examples of Victorian and early 20th century shellwork. It’s interesting to me that my great grandmother had one of these souvenir boxes — very similar to the ebay listings shown in the bottom left corner of the collage. Where did this wife of a small-time farmer in southern Indiana get one of these? I can’t imagine she ever took a sea-side vacation; maybe someone brought it to her.

Shells make intriguing frames for photos, prints and mirrors, particularly if the pictures are nautical-themed. The antique example here (bottom) features a print of a ship. I made a piece with a similar look (top) for a sea-themed mantel arrangement. I cut a picture from an old art book and adhered it to canvas board, then glued the shells directly on the print. I used a dark glaze to give the piece an aged look.

It seems we have always felt drawn to shells, given that shells have been used to decorate people, objects and spaces since ancient times. Increasing openness to scientific curiosity led to shell collecting becoming popular among the aristocracy in the 16th century; by the 17th and 18th century the swirling lines and curves of the popular Rococo style made shells one of the most common decorative motifs.  Everything from tables and chandeliers to the walls of elaborate grottos and follies got the shell treatment. The sailors manning ships on the trade routes of the early 19th century bought shell-encrusted boxes and pictures in the Caribbean and took them home as gifts to their sweethearts. These souvenirs, often heart-shaped or featuring heart-shaped designs, came to be known as Sailor’s Valentines. By the second half of the 19th century, better transportation created more opportunities for the average person to travel, and a very large market for souvenir sellers. In the late Victorian era shellwork boxes, frames and “valentines” were made in large numbers — both for the souvenir trade and by ladies who found that covering small boxes, bottles, and such with artistic arrangements of shells made a satisfying pastime.

If you’d like to see more examples of shell art, decorating and craft ideas, check out my Shellwork Pinterest board. For lots of information and inspiration, Shell Chic by Marlene Hurley Marshall is a gorgeous coffee-table book covering both history of the craft and how to’s for simple to complex projects.

There are artists today making traditional Sailor’s Valentines, which typically consists of a very precise, detailed design within a hinged wooden box. They are particularly popular in New England, where artists often use nautical-themed scrimshaw on ivory as the focal point of their design. Many of these artists exhibit and compete at the annual Sanibel Shell Show. 

So I’m in good company in my shell obsession. I think about this when I find I’ve spent an hour or more on the beach with my eyes cast down searching for an irresistible glimmer in the sand. But here in Raleigh, I need to get going on actually producing some of the many projects I dreamed up on the beach. I feel like I owe it to the shells.

I was so pleased to get my latest copy of Somerset Studio magazine and see that they included my submission for their “artwork incorporating stitching” theme in the Spring issue.