Cream and pale pink seashells hang from bare, weathered branches against a bright blue sky.

Where Shells Blossom

MG-0136

2020-07-20

About this piece

Ribbed and time-worn seashells rest on a network of bare branches, their pale surfaces set against a vivid blue sky. Fine details of bark, shell ridges, and small perforations bring texture to a composition that gives marine forms the unexpected appearance of blossoms.

The story

I framed the branches against the blue, letting the shells take the place of leaves. One held its neat fan of ridges; another was freckled with holes, its surface carrying traces of a life I could only imagine. I was drawn to that difference, and to the unlikely meeting of shell and wood. Through the lens, these small, weathered things seemed briefly weightless, suspended between the sea they recalled and the sky around them.

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