24 of 30 Another Hawk-wing Conch (Broken Shell Series)

Worn Smooth (Hawk-wing Conch)

5" X 7"

Watercolor

$85

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I hope you aren't sick of conchs. I do live in Key West!

This conch has lots of knobs going down the body, so I'm pretty sure it is another hawk-wing. It is missing the signature "wing," but the inside coloration would also fit with that identification.

I sat down to paint and just couldn't do another straight realistic shell. Shells, being mostly shell pink or tinted with gold, have led me to choose backgrounds in the purple, blue or green families for a considerable number of paintings. I decided I needed something different.

At the end of next week, I'm taking a painting workshop with Lian Zhen. On the supply list were some paints that I didn't already own, so I had purchased them, but not painted with them. I decided to give my new tube of Joe's Red! I love it's transparency! The background here has several other colors mixed in, but in general, I was happy with not pink cheeriness of the new color!

16 of 30 American Stars (Broken Shell Series)

The Glimpse Inside (American Star Shells)

5" X 7"

Watercolor

$85

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I can't be sure when it started, but on my shelling trips, I've become more and more picky about which shells to bring home. Over Christmas break, my college-age son took a walk on the beach with me. He kept picking up shells and handing them to me. Often they were chipped or bleached. Since he isn't four and has had to pack up and move with our family six times, he knows that my collection has limits, I explained that I appreciated it, but that I am pretty picky.

This line of thought led me to thinking about beauty in general. TED did a talk on beauty that was quite interesting. Beauty can be hard to define. We know it when we see it; at least, we know what we think is beautiful when we see it.

I can't explain why I love the zebra arks and dislike the red-brown ark. I hoard the colorful moonsnails and toss back the smooth Atlantic tegulas. I adore the long-spined stars and don't keep the American stars when they are whole.

I do pick up a lot of American stars when they are broken. The American star shell is one of the prettiest shells when the waves take a toll on it. At that point, the chamber inside is more visible and the patterns of construction are revealed. I hope you like this painting, the first in a series of broken and worn seashells. There is beauty in imperfection. I hope to show you some of it.