New Shells on the Horizon

i won't be making the june 1st deadline. i can rationalize not making the deadline several ways: 1) lack of purple shells; 2) ordered shells won't arrive in time; 3) i wouldn't want to carry the delicate project in a minivan full of boys, husband and boys' grandfather on a five hour trip to the graduation ceremony. there is sure to be breakage!

the fact, though, is the deadline was an overly ambitious deadline—not an excuse, just a statement. the reality is that working out before work makes me pretty tired when i get home, so little progress has been made this week. plus, creating her valentine is an enjoyable event, so i would rather not rush, but take my time and think the design out carefully. right now i'm mulling over the center medallion and how to do it. i've been planning it out in my head and i'll know when its time to start working on it. i just need inspiration to simmer on it a bit.

but i have ordered the shells from www.seashellhorizon.com and i'm pretty psyched to receive them. my new deadline is to have the valentine ready so when she comes up for her birthday, i will give it to her then. i am pretty nervous about the transporting of the valentine...

SV01: Starry, Starry Night—Image Catch Up

Here is the first image, showing the comet tails finished and my first attempt at the first starry night sky...the picture below shows two sections of the starry night sky finished and an initial idea for the center medallion. i had the center flower on hand, but its there as just a placeholder. its smaller than what i am thinking it will end up being. i'm thinking either a large single rose or a big rose with encircling, smaller flowers.


i've been playing with how to make the transition from the starry sky to the medallion. you can also see the purple spiny octagon ger thinks it great. it does draw the colors together. as i mentioned earlier, i ran out of the purple coquina for the starry night—will have to rush order those shells this week! this evening, i'm working on the center medallion and the outer border.

SV01: Starry, Starry Night—Heavenly Shades of Night

Its working, its working—but i have hit a few snags! i can't wait to go back home and upload the images. all the comet tails are finished. i have two starry night portions done, but i'm scrapping the barrel for right side all purple coquinas. curse my fondness for making purple waterlilies! that really cut into my stash. i will have to order some on rush. in the meantime, i've started the center and feel good about the initial results. ger especially loves the purple spiny octagon. i think about gerda reid's valentines—she does these fantastic spiny designs with delicate shading [featured in Sailors' Valentines: Their Journey Through Time]—and i have a whole new respect and understanding for her work!

i'm using all the colors kayleigh wore when she was a little girl—so its all purples, pinks, blues, greens and yellow. i'm also trying to work it a few turquoise chiton shells, too. that's a very kayleigh color, as well. i'm starting to get pretty excited about the project. tomorrow i will load the pictures, stay tuned!

tomorrow we will pack up the box and i'll carry the valentine home on my lap. i'll make the large center flower tomorrow night. it may be one very large rose, but then again, it might be several.

another great seashell art resource is Helen Krauss' Shell Art. it is the first book i purchased way back.

SV01: Starry Starry Night—Working the Sky

Memorial Day Weekend is dedicated to working the sailor valentine, as well as working the vineyard. i purchased a sturdy tool box from home depot, loaded it with my shells, grabbed photos, ger packed us up and away we went. this morning i worked hard on the background—i'm using a mix of purple coquina and baby blue mussels. small stars are represented by pearl umboniums.

i have to say, i'm fighting myself here. i see the exuberance in van gogh's brush strokes, and i see differences in stroke sizes and direction. when i was working on my comet tail, i had seen the geometry of the shells, the shapes and the colour all coming together in a very clean way. determined to add some exuberance into the starry background, i mixed the purple coquina and the blue mussels in a semi-random way, sometimes working with the geometry, sometimes not. after looking at the results—now very permanently glued to the board—i worry what i intentionally made random may now just look like poor design!

i have been thinking of interesting flourishes, though. i have dentalium comet sparks coming out of the astraea calcar comet heads. i think that part is successful. i'm going to keep plugging away at the design, but i'm thinking i will need to be very structured and geometric in all the other areas, if this random exuberance is going to come off well.

i am taking photos along the way, but it seems i've left the transfer cord at home!

SV01: Starry, Starry Night — I Started It!

making a Sailor Valentine is not for the faint-hearted. although I've dreamed, plotted, and planned out several valentines in my head—actually physically starting a valentine is something all together different. it came down to push or shelf it. a leap of confidence had to be made. no more hiding behind design, choosing shells, or applying paint. time to crack open the 527!

the above image is of the comet/star trail and a few of the spiny ferns i've created (they aren't in place yet). so far i'm pleased with the initial results but i want to incorporate a sense of liveliness into the design—less uniform application of shells—and i think the purple/blue smaller star area is the place for it. that happens next....

SV01: Starry, Starry Night — Good Theory, Needs Work

OMG. 13 more days until graduation. i was just trodding along—a fix here, a shell purchase there, a ponder, ponder, ponder. then i made the countdown clock widget and pow. a renewed sense of urgency hit me. we came back from the farm and i started looking at the possible shell designs and the colour interaction underneath. i'm glad i had made a scrubby test version. its been instructive as to what i wish to do for the real event and the spring green background is perfect for the green spiny ferns. i also realize i can't plan for flowers much larger than the apple blossom flower bud i had left over. and that the center has too much detail for the size of the box. i'm thinking over many ideas when i should be a girl of action!

i'm testing out the ideas i had for the starry sky middle ring. the photo to the left shows some experiments in aligning the purple coquina and blue mussels. i think i'll get more playful with the differing two shells. maybe within the line of purple will have a couple of accent darker blue mussels to give it that dashed brushstroke feeling.

SV01: Starry, Starry Night — Background Colour Experiment

here are the materials i think i need to start: an extra sturdy slice of cold press illustration/watercolour paper, 527 glue, a stylus and carbon transfer paper and a pallet of cheap watercolours and sumi brush.

i'm using a lighter weight cold press/watercolour paper because my local michaels craft store has a limited fine art supply section—but i think this will be ok. in looking at sailor valentines, many of the traditional valentines are built from a board, then a layer of cotton batting that is coloured. sometimes the artist employed coloured paper in the background or they used fabric. why am i thinking so much about the background colour of the sailor valentine?

the important thing about colour is that one element's colour characteristics is affected by its surroundings. holy chevreul's principal of simultaneous contrast! so i think a cool white background will deaden the colours of the shells, as the light bounces around in the box. i've decided to run a little experiment with the heavy water colour board and the cheap watercolours.


the left picture shows my pattern that traced upon the watercolour paper using the carbon paper and stylus. i'm working on this at night and at the farm, so the colour is off from other images you will see here on this blog. the right picture is a colour corrected image that shows my messy water colour practice. i won't worry too much about staying within the lines, as 1) this is practice and 2) shells will cover the design. the outer ring is a spring green, as i'm going to incorporate my green urchin spine fern leaves and tuck little flowers about them. as you can guess, this would leave me with the potential of seeing the white board. colouring the background will help enhance the illusion of the garden ring. same goes for the blue background and gold accents.

i have great plans for my starry night middle ring. the seashells will mimic van gogh's brushstrokes and will be lined up, one after another (see the purple coquina and blue mussel shells to the left). as you can see, the white background is going to pop up. i thought, why not try a blue/purple coloured background and see how it comes out? for my next post, you will see the valentine background cut out and shells laid upon it to see if my experiment works. i'll also be working on creating urchin spine ferns and little flowers for the border.

Shell Art Masters

i recommend bill jordan's dvd instructional guide to recreating a traditional-style sailor valentine. click here for the dvd web page.

i went to the 06 philly shell show and was lucky enough to speak to bill jordan while there. bill is a true enthusiast and is always willing to share and inspire. before i met bill, i had visited his website and was inspired by his watch pendants—which are spectacular when you see how actually small these pendants are and how well they are composed. bill has a gift and i was a really gawky fan at the time—wait, you are the BILL JORDAN?!!!! i can't wait to tell my husband and kids i met the BILL JORDAN!! i think i actually made him shake my hand. and as far as that disclosure goes, i found my self tearing up while i toured the philly shell show. so much great work in one spot! previously, it had been all web pages and book pictures—but seeing the actual valentines in person was really something wonderful.

bill and a few of the winners of the sanibel show (every march, and no, i haven't been, yet) were featured on martha stewart's website. they won't allow me to embed the video, but here is the link to the site so you may view for yourself.

Shell Art Artists and more creative crafts projects, templates, tips, clip-art, patterns, and ideas on marthastewart.com

oh no, thank you!

What is a Sailor Valentine?

photo from dianabittelantiques.com

Here is a link to a Sailor's Valentine wiki page. Its basic, but gives you an idea of what the artform is all about.

There are also several books about Sailor Valentines--see my source links to the left for my recommendations.

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Decor: Sea Bouquet in White and Purple

i made this bouquet just for fun and practice. the white roses are made from white cay-cay shells and are big and beautiful. The purple shells are cut cowrie tops from cinquantagefleur. cheryl stocks and sells really cool stuff on ebay. recommend. the centers of the purple flowers are yellow litornia. the boys think the yellow shells look like corn. the colour is pretty unnatural for an undyed shell and i have to be a bit careful when i use them. but who can resist purple and yellow together? the best part of the bouquet is the tiny buds peeking out from under the natural colour fish scales. I dig those fish scales for natural looking foliage.

this shadow box can be hung either vertically or horizontally and its offered at my chesapeake street shop.

SV01: Starry, Starry Night—Box and Shell Testing

my sailor valentine box is an 8", front loading box. here you see i've printed out my design and laid it inside to get an idea of how it would look inside the box. when i'm finished, i will place the glass that was custom cut for the box inside of the grooved top. then the strips pictured above, on the right side will be inserted edge to edge. they fit very tightly and hold the glass in place.

i purchased my sailor valentine box from jim prestigiacomo @ shellsandwood.com. we met way back on ebay. jim is a master craftsman and i'm lucky enough to own three of his boxes. check out their site--rosalee, his wife, creates gorgeous work and they feature the work of other shell artist, as well.

the images above show how i start by laying down shell combinations and think about the composition, the color scheme, what i'm trying to convey, and the adjustments i'll need to make. the first thing that i notice is that 8" is a very small space. i will have to be careful with the size of my shells, making sure that i don't use shells that overpower the design—the smaller shells give you more room to craft intricate designs, but if they are too uniform in size, the feel becomes a little precious. that may just be my justification for keeping my large spiral yellow shells look like the van gogh yellow sun or stars—i'm too smitten to reconsider them.

i also dig the compass rose color combination, especially how the rose cup center flower and the blue chiton border brings out the pink and teal iridescence in the baby abalone shells—but they still have that tan overall colour that makes them a good partner for the horse conch compass points. i'll need to finesse the final layout, but I like how the compass rose will sit stable as the van gogh starry night swirls about it. maybe i should try a yellow jingle shell center flower? i'm not sure about the fossil shark tooth border. the teeth are a bit large and polished for what i'm after. i think i like the garden of eden-ish fern and flower border, but i need to keep that area petite and low key.

the van gogh blue-purple swirling background will be key in making this valentine a success. i'm planning on lining rows of purple coquina, purple urchin spines and baby mussels in a swirling pattern. pearlized umbonium and pong-pong shells will make excellent smaller stars.

i can't wait to get some illustration board. i'm thinking about getting a color. i will also need 527 adhesive and boy2 will have to cough up my dental tweezers! i know he's stashed them somewhere....

Fleur: Chrysanthemums Savoureux

just like tiny bon-bons, each of these shell flowers is a treat!

these shell flowers can be purchased at my etsy shop. i've modeled them after chrysanthemums (mums) and made them from coquina shells. the largest measure 1.5" in diameter. the smaller buds can be positioned at an angle, creating variety and a sense of dynamism in a design.

these dainty fleurs are one of my favorite flowers to make. i think they are so sweet! one of my ideas it to encrust a mirror in thousands of these tiny flowers, creating a texture treat. but that's for another day, after i finish my first sailor valentine. what would you do with them?

i think the coquina is the ubiquitous craft seashell, certainly one of the most useful. the bivalve comes in a variety of colours from white to pink, yellow, purple, blue and a tea-like colour. sometimes they are solid colour and sometimes a mottled, multi-coloured, like the mums pictured here. they also have different widths—the ones i'm currently working with has narrow shaped shells, but i have made some gorgeous pansies from wider shaped, multi-coloured ones with pink, yellow, purples and tans.

i go through these different spells of shell preferences, but the coquina is always there, always ready for my imagination.

SV01: Starry, Starry Night—Concept

i'm finally starting my first sailor valentine! this will be a graduation gift for my girl, kayleigh. she graduates early june, so its a race to see who will finish what, first. she and i have often worked together over shells and she makes these beautiful abstract shell designs inside of larger, iridescent clam shells. i put several of her designs into their own shadow boxes for her room. to celebrate her graduation, i'd like to give her a valentine, as she has watched me work my shellin' skills up to this point.

i'm taking my inspiration for her valentine from van gogh's starry, night.

last night i broke out illustrator and worked out my template, see below. i'm grateful for adobe illustrator cs3. i made several cardstock templates for my moleskine notebook--they are handy for sketching out initial ideas. i trace around the template, mark the guidelines and start drawing. the moleskine is awesome with the back pocket to store the template. i only made a couple of sketches for kayleigh's design, since i have a strong theme and have been designing it in my head over and over. i'm leaving a 1.5" border from the box edge. i'm going to get an archival quality illustration board, cut it out, transfer my design and work my shell art on the board. then it will just be a matter of adhering the board to the box.

Manifesto: Following My Bliss

Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time. --Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth, pp. 113, 120

when i think about following my bliss out of context (meaning, anytime i talk about joseph campbell to anyone), it feels a bit trite. and applying concepts in comparative mythology and religion to shells and adhesives is, um... silly. however, as a mother, a wife, an assistant in a budding vineyard, a hopeful grad student, a public servant--in other words, a girl who can't say no to an opportunity--i have finally owned up to it:

part of following my bliss is adhering seashells together or applying them to found objects.

this life is good. and its hectic and crazy. so when i sit at my kitchen island with my shells stewn about, my designs in front of me, and my kids next to me asking me to "glue this together, momma" i find myself slowing down. becoming hummingly happy. being there, at that little island and thinking only about what is in front of me--that's meditative. restful. i had given up my island for a while, but i'm back.

the purpose of this blog is to show what i'm working on, what i'm thinking about, and how i'm going about doing it. i can't keep everything i make. i used to sell on ebay, but now i'm experimenting with an etsy storefront. i've also uploaded some on my designs on flickr.com, so check out the widgets. if you see something you like, please comment. if you wish to purchase something or have me make something custom, let me know and i'll post it on etsy.

thanks!