Since yesterday’s almost-not-posted post was about sheep photography, the photo above (entry sent in by DE who has known me a very, very long time) seemed timely.
You know I’m obsessed with all things oceanic, and I love clever assemblage art, so the work of Anna Chan really made my day! She is incredibly skilled with shell placement and knows exactly the right thing – the right shell, the right shape, the right shade – to communicate her subjects in surprisingly realistic ways. The way she has of lining up the ridges on the shells make her works surprisingly painterly.
A jewelry designer by trade, like many of us, her work slowed down a bit during Covid. She spend a fair amount of time during quarantine walking the beaches with her young daughter. What began as a fun, kid-friendly project of making sculptures with the shells they collected gained momentum once she started posting them on her social media.
“Having worked on a small scale most of my life, being able to use my entire hands to sculpt large pieces was truly liberating, especially during such trying times. I saw great potential with this new medium and was determined to keep refining my work, so I moved some sand and seashells to my garage and that is where I work today.”
Anna Chan
You can see all of Anna Chan’s gloriously-fun work on her website and on Instagram and Facebook.
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My OBT 
July 20, 2021 at 6:14 am
What beautiful use of shells! Such ingenuity! Thank you.
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July 20, 2021 at 7:07 pm
She’s incredible. I wish I were that clever
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July 20, 2021 at 7:12 am
These are spectacular and so creative and precise. Even before I read your write up, I was wondering if the artist had a jewellery background because the positioning of the shells made me think of placing beads and gems. It really makes sense.
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July 20, 2021 at 7:08 pm
That’s really smart. I didn’t make the connection.
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July 20, 2021 at 7:51 am
Each one is prettier than the next! These are beautiful.
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July 20, 2021 at 8:14 am
I agree. They are beautiful and enjoyable to look at. Wonder where they get the shells from. Hal
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July 20, 2021 at 7:11 pm
I agree!
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July 20, 2021 at 8:44 am
No shells in my area but these works of art art wonderfully creative.
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July 20, 2021 at 7:16 pm
Creative is exactly right!
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