This collection was inspired by the beautiful shell collection of Claire Elliot, a good friend and a fellow artist. I was drawn in by the architectural beauty of these amazing specimens. The ornate and ingenious form of a purely natural design really is something to marvel at.
These designs are typically adaptations for the particular ecological niche that each shell has evolved into. For example, the sharp spines of the Murex offer protection and prevent the shell from sinking into soft mud or the shells that the Carrier Shell attaches to itself for protection are made more amazing by the fact that some are upside down to create the impression of dead shells to any predator.
