Tag Archives: mussel

Still Life Composition of Shell, Ocean, and Light

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The beauty of this still life is that it is all here in a size that would fit in the palm of a hand.
The curves and rim of this particular mussel shell are especially sensuous. The scattering of sand in its bowl, deposited by the tide, is placed perfectly, gently. The so-tiny splashes of water enhance the interior of the shell and the grains of sand that are contained within it.
What I find most lovely, though is the light that is captured by gleaming white interior of the shell. The sunlight accentuates the scalloping pattern, and creates a small iridescent patch. A hidden rainbow.

Most of the time, the still lifes that I find are larger, more traditional and fitting to art’s description of a still life. Here, though, the arrangement is composed of not multiple different objects, but of the land, sea, and sky together.
Shell, ocean, and light perfectly composed to delight.
I wonder how many tiny treasures such as this one I miss when I walk the tide line . . .

Green Stone, Mussel, and Tidal Line

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In a college geology class, decades ago, we learned that green stones along the NJ shore line were likely volcanic – evidence and remains of the volcanoes that are now the Appalachian range. This stone is nearly as light as the shells that surrounded it, likely volcanic tuff.

Regardless of its composition or origin, though, it creates a serene still life here with the very blue mussel and the tide’s high line.