Oyster Half Shell Reflections

I made a series of oil paintings to study the seashell form while developing the Seashell Submarines body of work. This collection consists of paintings, sculptures, and low-relief wall panels with sculptural assemblage.

I shoot close-up photography of oysters, mussels, and clamshells to set up the compositions for my paintings and objects. In my painting process, I treat the palette knife as a sculpting tool and paint the facets in the form, rather than gradually transition from light to shadow.

For the sculptures in this series I developed oversize seashell forms carved in wood. Parts of the wood forms are wrapped in pieces of plastic from tubes of toothpaste, body wash, and other consumer products. I use these post-consumer plastic materials in my wall panels as well.

Across mediums, the pieces in this series share the principles of layering and the creation of larger forms from smaller building blocks. I am interested in highlighting the stepped progression in my process with the intent to call attention to the labor and materials involved in everyday functions.

The seashell form is interesting in a few aspects: the rings on the seashell are a visual record of the building process of the shell. They are like growth rings on trees. Therefore, I chose to combine these materials in my work. Working with wood and seashells also represents to me the distinction between land and sea, and conceptually, the distinction between the known and the unknown.