Since moving to Key West in August, I've developed an almost daily habit of looking for shells, sea glass, coral, etc. along the water's edge. Some would say that my collection is getting out of control. (Perhaps a family member or two HAS said that....) But, as I find more and more specimens of a certain shell, I go back through and return some of the shells to the shore, keeping the ones that have best color, are largest or smallest, etc.
When I found this shell, I thought they were juvenile olive shell. The shell book that I got for Christmas (Florida's Living Beaches by Blair and Dawn Witherington) corrected me. I find the Atlantic and the White-spot versions of the marginella in the line of seaweed and such on a regular basis. I don't think I've seen the Orange version yet, but I'll keep looking!
All of the shells that I will be painting are from my own collection. I did a photoshoot with dramatic lighting for most of my reference photos, even though I have the shell in front of me while I paint. I'm experimenting with painting lost and hard edges in some of the paintings.
I hope you will return each day and see what I've come up with!
