Shells have always held a fascination for me that I have never outgrown. It all began with going to the Philippines to live on Clark Air Force Base while my father was stationed there. My parents took up scuba diving and would always go to a bay near the base. We would ride the dark blue Air Force bus with no air conditioning for what seemed like an awfully long time to me at the age of 6. Once there, I would play with the village children and go on the boat with Tony and my parents to their favorite reef. I could swim all day on top of the water if I stayed in the confines of the outrigger arm of the boat. One of my favorite pastimes was to play in my parents bubbles. Tony's pastime was to keep a wary eye on me and get me in the boat if he spotted sharks. Occasionally, my mother would either show me a shell from 35 feet below or bring it up for me to see. My parents collected lots of shells and one of my jobs as a child was to help dust them. I still have shells that Tony brought up for me to this day. This painting is 8 x 8 Oil on Linen.
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