A Venus comb

Another day, another painting.

This one is of the Venus comb my parents pulled from the ocean.

My parents shell collection from the Philippines was extensive, 

because they went diving as much as they could afford.

I got to go frequently, swimming in the arm of the Bonka boat for hours on end 

while my parents dove below.

It was an idyllic life, watching my parents dive below me, 

bringing me things from the bottom of the sea. 

We would bring the shells home and place them in the ant bed that was near our front door.

The ants did an incredible job of cleaning the live animals from the shell while leaving the incredible remains for me to see.

Beautiful memories of childhood.

I got the collection when my parents both passed away and 

I was clearing the house for my brother to sell.

I now get to look at them, enjoy them, and even paint them!

More history about the sepia series.

This is about the shadowbox canvas.

They started the fall of 2015.

This is the first time I showed them.

I had seen the canvases at Michaels, but in my mind were too expensive and keep my pricing reasonable.

I had a really good National Shrimp Festival that year.

I went to Michaels afterward to pick up small canvas.

They had all of their shadowbox canvas on sale, clearance actually.

The prices were too good to resist, and I love a great sale.

I bought all 22 they had, asked them to call the Mobile store to see if they had more.

I painted all of them and took them to Peter Anderson in Mississippi.

We sold half of them that weekend.

Chris asked if I could get any more of them.

I told him I had been researching, but they were nowhere to be found.

We finished the fall season with some of them left over.

The following Spring, I was at another show in Mississippi when my husband came to me and said, 

"I think I figured out how to build them", I said "Good, I figured out how to stretch them!"

We haven't looked back since then.

Chris has opened the boxes, made different sizes, made custom sizes, 

designed offset boxes and so much more.

We estimate Chris has built over 500 of them so far!

I am so grateful to have him on my team.

My 12th year painting on the shadowboxes.

I still love them!

A Venus comb, Acrylic on canvas, 15 x 30 inches

Day 41 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2026

 

Imperial Volute

 Imperial Volute

Another of my shells which hails from the Philippines. It is one of my favorites in the collection of shells from the time we were in the country. Again, the points are wonderfully preserved, and the color is fantastic. These shells are part of the Mollusk family, and its scientific name is Cymbiola Imperialis. To me, it's just a beautiful work of art. As you can see from the top of the shell, it is a lovely example of the Golden spiral.

These shells are native to the waters in between Malaysia and the Philippines in the Sulu Sea. They can be found in shallow waters just below the low tide zone all the way down to 80 meters. They prefer a sandy bottom. They feed on other Mollusks and invertebrate animals. They can grow large, all the way up to 9 inches. The one I have is 6 inches. In the wild they are covered by a thin layer of brownish periostracum. So, if you don't know what you are looking for, you may not see it!

This painting was fun to paint and a lot easier than I thought it would be! I was thinking I might have to do another piece instead of this one because of the degree of difficulty. 

I also painted white all the canvas Chris stretched yesterday this morning. We then went to lunch and bought lumber for a project Chris is working on to take to India. Christina keeps asking for various things to be brought to her because she misses home and wants items made by her parents. I get it, but it may mean another piece of luggage!

I also managed to alter the Octopus pants I bought at Goodwill. They were originally like sweatpants, but I opened up the legs and inserted a large black triangle flare on both sides of the leg. There are really cool looking now, albeit a little short. I may add a black band at the bottom to complete the look. I also found a terrific top to go with them, so my first outfit for the National Shrimp Festival is complete.

I've also got a couple of other projects at my sewing machine that must get done soon. Velcro added to the bottom of the new black curtains that cover my poles and weights. It keeps the curtains from flapping in the breeze, makes a clean line, and adds to the professional look of the booth. My goal is even more of a gallery look with the new black walls and white background artworks. The new octopus pants outfit will match the booth for sure! I've also got two pair of pants Chris wants made into shorts. He's lost weight and is having to use some of the pants that have been stored for a while. So, the new lifestyle is working but he cheats a lot!

Imperial Volute, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24 inches                                                                                         Day 87 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

Venus Comb

 Venus Comb Murex

To say my parents were avid shell collectors is putting it mildly. I have vivid memories of them coming home from dives while we were living in the Philippines. Invariably, they brought home either shells or something for our fish tank. The process was always the same, they would come home and place the shells in the ant bed. The ants were fed handsomely, and in two weeks we had shells that were incredibly clean and beautiful. It was like Christmas, carefully removing the shells from the ant bed and finding the treasures held within.

If you've never seen a shell brought up from the depths of the sea, you'll be in for a shock. The shells caught live are beautiful with incredibly sharp spines. The clams are even sharper as their flutes are intact. Razor coral is sharp enough to cut you, even after drying out and even years later. The shells we see on the beach have been rolled in the surf and softened by the sea. I got my parents shell collection after they both passed away. They have brought back incredible memories of living in the Philippines and snorkeling for hours on end while my parents dove below. 

The Venus comb murex is known by its scientific name Murex pecten. They are large predatory snails that eat other mollusks. They grow 4-6 inches in length. The one I have is about 5 inches. It is the one I photographed and painted here. The spines are though to protect the shell from predators while they are hunting. The shell shape is considered to be elongated with a pronounced siphonal canal. It is found in the Indo-Pacific region and can be found from coral reefs to sandy bottoms. They occupy water depths between 0-1115 feet! They like tropical waters as the warm stable temperatures aid in their survival. Bottom dwelling using camouflage to hide among the rocks and corals.

It does face threats from overharvesting and habitat loss. My parents got theirs in the 60's. They were considered to represent wealth and status. They may serve as trade items or gifts. They are used in crafting sometimes, but the delicate spines break easily. 

I pray you've had a great day. Today was much better for me in the studio. I was able to paint and cut canvas for Chris to stretch on the bars he made for me. I am one happy artist! I painted this evening while dinner was cooking, and Chris stretched the frames and then we had dinner, cleaned up and got ice cream. I then headed up to the studio to finish this painting depicted here.

Venus Comb Murex, Acrylic on canvas, 6 x 24inches                                                                                   Day 86 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025

Calamary , Calamari, or Cephalopoda?

When I looked this up just now, I thought the spelling was different. 

I've always seen it spelled Calamari and it was always octopus. 

The dictionary also refers to it as squid. 

It may be time for me to get a new dictionary!

Anyway, years ago I tried Calamari as a child in the Philippines. My parents scuba dived in 

Subic Bay (Sp?). I loved to go on the dives because I was allowed to go out on the boat with them. I would swim in the outrigger arm area of the Banca boat as Tony followed my parents diving below. My mother would frequently show me something from the bottom while she swam upside down. I played in their bubbles and had a grand time! I would point out things on the bottom and Tony would free dive down to retrieve them. I still have the shell he brought up just for me!

I also got one of the worst sunburns of my entire life after swimming for a long time one day. I had to lay on my stomach the entire way home because my back and shoulders were blistered with what was probably a second degree burn. This was also the night my parents bought me 3 black velvet paintings of Batman, Robin, and Donald Duck. I don't remember  much else after that, my 7year old self was so happy to get the paintings the burn seemed so far away.

This was the days before sunscreen and before I realized what a day in the water could do to your back! Not that I learned my lesson though, many years later on our first cruise to the Bahamas I got another one. I snorkeled all afternoon and got a burn that left me with a crisscross pattern on my back for the rest of the summer! (No blisters though!) Lesson learned hopefully. I wear a shirt now when snorkeling in the heat so I don't have a repeat performance! 

Back to the Calamari. My mother and I considered this a special treat, especially when ordered at Rousso's restaurant downtown. They had the absolute best tasting, fried just right, so tender, and a hot plate full. We ordered a plate one night and offered some to the ladies at our table. The majority of them made a face and said never. Mom and I greedily ate the entire plate together. 

Marinara sauce made it perfect.

We were both kinda glad no one wanted to share! The one part I could not eat however were the whole baby ones. Mom loved to eat those with great relish. I've only found one other place that had really great Calamari, one of the casinos in Biloxi. It was on the buffet and they had very little left. When they replenished the buffet, I had a treat of hot tasty tentacles. 

Maybe that's why I love to paint octopus so much, so many happy memories!

They never fail me and always are sold quickly. I painted 8 of them in between shows while in Florida and sold every one! I've painted them 3ft x 5ft, 12x24, and 6x6, with many sizes in between. 

This guy is 4x12 inches and can stand on a table or be hung.

"Cephalopoda" Acrylic on canvas, 4x12 inches

Day 2 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018

Dreaming of far off lands

Those of you that read the blog, know that I spent a couple of years in the Philippines. Recently, I had memories of the islands come back andvisit my dreams. The Islands are where I swam in warm blue waters, had a sea turtle build a nest on top of me, and learned the fine art of skin diving while playing in my parents bubbles from their scuba tanks.

I became very concerned about the local children having no clothes, so when I outgrew mine, I took them to the village near Subic Bay. Tony was our Bonka Boat captain and I played with the children while they swam in the sea. The other children swam in the buff, while I did not go any further than my underwear! We all became brown little nuts roasting in the abundant sunshine. My memory of the clothes is seeing the paper bag they were in torn to shreds and the cowboy boots within causing a huge fight among the children. Two seperate kids grabbed the boots, claiming them as their own and the battle was on. The villagers settled the matter by determining which child could fit in the boots. The shoes were then passed on to several children as they grew into them. I imagine the boots lasted long after I was gone, until they fell completely to pieces. I am certain the pieces were then used to make something else useful. 

Palms 1, 2 & 3 as well as the path to the village are all memory paintings they measure 3 x 9

These are days 72, 74, 75, and 76 of the 100 days~100 Paintings.

Sorry for the disjointed posting, I cannot figure out what is going on with the set up!

 

Palms 1

Palms 2



The path to the village
 

Beached at Goa

        

                                  This painting is more of my typical type, featuring beaches. Beached at Goa reminds me somewhat of the Phillipines, because I remember the boats pulled up on the beach. My parents would dive both during day and night. The night dives were my father exclusively because my mother wanted to see the sharks coming at them while in the water. The sharks were not overly aggressive, just curious. The only problem with curiosity and a shark is that there are large teeth involved! Hence, Mom let dad dive with the rest of the crew at night. Night dives were the best for lobster hunting as I recall and sometimes really big fish would come in as a result of my fathers expert shooting with a spear gun.
                            
                              I spent many happy days on the beaches in the Phillipines. When we first started going to Subic Bay, I was very concerned that the local children did not wear clothing. Their freedom was contageous and eventually after several trips, I too shed the layers of exterior covering. (However, out of some sense of modesty I kept my underwear on! I was only 7 years old at the time!)

                              More about my adventures on the beaches at a later date.

"Beached at Goa" 24 x 36 Acrylic on canvas $295.00

My five legged friend

Those of you who have followed for a while may remember I spent a few years in the Phillipines. My father was in the Air Force and we were stationed at Clark AFB. While living there, the parents I knew and loved became quite in taken with Scuba Diving. Fortunately, they would take me along for the adventure. I would stay in the bonka boat with our driver Tony and as long as I stayed in the outrigger arm of the boat, I could swim to my hearts content. Quite frequently, I found myself drifting along playing in the bubble trail my parents made as they swam at the bottom. They also would swim at less than 35 feet so they could stay indefinitely.

One day, while in this state of watery bliss I spied a starfish. I excitedly told Tony about it and he helped me out of the water and safely into the boat. It was then and only then he would free dive to the bottom and retrieve the prize I had spied. This time, he came up with the most beautiful blue starfish I had ever seen! Since my parents were shell collectors, I was allowed to keep some things and I vowed this would be mine forever. I loved the color and could not wait to get it home to the ant bed.

Ant bed? Yes the ant bed. We put all our shells into a very accomodating colony of ants that would eat the live creatures, leaving the shells behind. They were always very clean, and it was a good relationship. The only probelm was, the process my mother had devised involved 2 whole weeks of waiting!

I was about 6 at the time and could hardly wait until I could display the starfish proudly in my "collection". The morning came and mother carefully removed the shells from the pile and very close to the last thing removed, was my precious piece of the Phillipines. It came out the most disappointing shade of pale brown. My mother explained that the starfish, being alive made the bright blue, but now was simply a skeleton of the former beauty. I sadly took my prize into the house vowing still to display my "shell". Suddenly, in my mind hatched a beautiful scheme! I would paint it! I could paint anything I assumed and I told my mother that is what I wanted to do. I can't remember if she bought the paint, or if I took it to school. Afterward, I was quite pleased with the results, putting several coats on my sea creature. It never eally was the right shade, so I never brought home a starfish again.

My five legged friend 12 x 12 acrylic on canvas, shadowbox frame

Just playing Catch up! Starfish and Queen Conch

Two days later and two paintings down! Sepias are still my hands on favorite and by far my best sellers. This week is tough, trying to deal with getting in the groove of teaching. While teaching tonight, I painted another turtle that I will post tomorrow after I photograph him. I love painting shells and still have very fond memories of my parents collecting shells in the Phillipines during the mid sixties. Starfish and Queen Conch, 12 x 12 $125.00 each

Magical Pair

Magical Pair is two green turtles swimming side by side. This painting is a special request from someone down in Orange Beach wanting a painting for their condo. It measures 20 x 40 and is my husband Chris's first real foray into making stretcher bars custom for a painting. He did a beautiful job and I am so grateful for a spouse that is both supportive and understanding in my still growing art business. I don't think I will ever get tired of painting turtles, their beauty and grace is just awe inspiring. I had a turtle turn around, come back and look hard at me through the glass at the aquarium in Tampa and it just took my breath away.

I have a special connection with turtles since I had an encounter while living in the Phillipines. My parents were night diving, (well my father was, my mother is respectful of the sharks!) My mother told me to go to bed on the beach. This was easier said than done as there was a burning barrel on the beach that was quite bright with a large fire. My "bed" was a towel on the sand under a parachute attached to the side of the cliff. I tried desperately to drift off with my back to the fire. I kept feeling sand getting flipped on me and I asked them to please stop! This happened again and again and I finally turned over and realized there was a turtle in the tent with me building a nest! Her focus was completely on her task at hand and I ran screaming from the tent breathlessly telling my mother what was happening. The turtle was allowed to finish her matronly duties and we moved the "tent" to another spot on the beach away from the nest. Hence the connection and love I have for all turtles. "Magical Pair" 20 x 40 acrylic on canvas $395.00

Nautilus

I spent some time (about two years) in the Phillipines with my parents. I have wonderful memories from there that are very vivid and still influence my artwork today. I have a great love of the sea as a result of this trip overseas because we spent many happy hours there. I remember most of all the dive trips my parents took along with our naval friends after riding for some time on the Air Forces dark blue bus from the base. It had no air conditioning and the trips were uncomfortable because the bus seemed to have virtually no shocks to speak of. We would spend long days there at the beach, with my parents sometimes going on night dives. ( My mother ceased this practice though, she did'nt like not seeing the sharks in the dark until they loomed upon her in the gloom and inky blackness.) My parents became quite the shell collectors, bringing home a vast collection of beautiful shells that were carefully placed in the ant bed near our house. The ants did a great job of cleaning the shell of all the animals left inside leaving the "doors" that some of the shells had. My parents carefully identified them and they may still have these meticulously hand printed labels taped to their undersides. The Nautilus was one of these shells I think (the box is still in the attic and some day I will find them to put them back on display) Nautilus creatures are quite the most beautiful and most ugly at the same time. They evoke in me a certain creepiness that comes from 20,000 leagues under the sea. "Nautilus" 12x12 acrylic on canva $85.00