Out Of The Shell

by brightnationOct 12, 2022Art, Artisan

Avid Beachcomber Paints The Most Stunning Patterns On Shells.

Lisa Orlands from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida has found a way to turn her passion for beachcombing into a stunning creative activity. Being a beachcomber, Lisa naturally has a massive collection of beach finds, she collects anything that takes her interest.

Initially as a way of spending quality time with the family, Lisa would collect rocks, paint them and then hide them for lucky passers by to find. Once the COVID pandemic started, they would take longer walks into the woods and wetlands and collect Apple Snail shells. Lisa found that painting the shells was very therapeutic, the intricacy and attention to detail needed became an act of meditation. Once people saw the work that Lisa was producing, they started to ask if her work was for sale.

Lisa starts by boiling the empty snail shells and then scrubbing them with soap. Each shell takes about six hours to paint, after which she seals them with resin to provide glossiness and strength. Sometimes as a finishing touch pearls and studs are added. Most of her designs are inspired by nature, taking inspiration from things like fern leaves or a butterfly wings. We think the results are stunning.