In my most recent incarnation as an artist, I create three-dimensional, mixed-media paintings with water-miscible oil paint, using natural horseshoe crab shells as my canvas. I have produced a number of abstract and interpretive series of Horseshoe Crab shell paintings.
Though I'm a city child, the imagery, organic forms, earthen toned colors and materials found in the natural world have always been fundamental aspects in all my artwork. My belief in the connection between all living things and the shared energy throughout our world inspires many of these paintings. Reanimating the shells of these age-old creatures through my art breathes fresh life into them as they cycle through a new state of existence connecting us to the past and enriching our present.
Each hand painted horseshoe crab shell is an original piece of artwork. As natural objects, the shells have variations, peculiarities, and distinctions that contribute to every piece's uniqueness. A long process of cleansing is required to remove the ocean odors and detritus the shells have accumulated in their lifetime. Some of the shell paintings are fitted with an inner drift-wood support which stabilizes the piece while serving as a hanger for each unique objet d'art. Other horseshoe crab shell paintings are affixed to wood panels either as a continuation of the painting or simply to serve as a background for the three-dimensional shell painting.
All my shells have been found on the beach at Davis Park on Fire Island, their life force long gone from them. Accordingly, no horseshoe crabs have been harmed in the creation of these works of art! I hope my artwork not only brings joy to the viewer, but is thought provoking and inspiring as well.
