Sea Shells from the Seashore

Walking on the beach is one of my favorite things.  Along the way I am always on the lookout for seashells and other treasures from the sea.  One day last month, I collected a bunch of shells and stones and decided to make them my inspiration for a short series of small art quilt collages that I mounted on canvas.  Here they are, hope you like them, but more importantly, I hope you get to walk on the beach soon.

I started with a 5" X 5" canvas so I could try out different paint colors.  This is a layering of about 6 paints and washes.  

5" X 7"

I am not an "orange" person per se, so I decided to also try the background in shades of blue.  I used 4 different shades and washes on this and a blue metallic wash on top so it is a bit iridescent.  Nice, but I liked the orange better, so I carried on to the third and final piece.

12" X 12"

This final piece incorporates the white stones, soft orange shells, buttons, beads, silk, batik, tyvek, lace and on and on.  It is a busy piece, but the colors are soft and the iridescent frame with along with the soft shine of the shells makes a nice finished piece.  

Detail of the 12" X 12"collage.

One more look at the various mixed media.

Surf's Up!  Gotta go shell hunting :)