The Shell

By Petey Becker

The Shell, 2020, Watercolor painting
16" x 9", $750, Available, With Artist

Tide pools have always been a special place for me not in the least because of the critters and their shells. In this painting I loved contrast between the smooth periwinkle shell and the bed of seaweed in which it was lying. This was in the inter-tidal zone - a place that is alternately dry and then submerged as the tides rise and fall. I was intrigued by the contrast between the deep and varied purples and magenta of the seaweed, and the empty, bone-white smooth shell of the periwinkle. I struggled a bit getting too much into the weeds (or seaweed) and veering towards a botanical-type of painting. I wanted to try to portray HOW the contrast and forms made me feel, not how they looked in detail. After many false starts I resolved - at least for me - my vision for this painting