Broken Whelk/2014

c. 3" x 7"/ink on paper

I'm working on a series of smaller (12" to 24" on the longest side) oil pictures of shells I've scavenged on my frequent trips to the family house on Buzzards Bay this summer.  As part of the exercise, I've done many ink drawings trying to learn about the subject and how to represent the curves and more or less simple complexity of the objects....the features I most appreciate.  These whelk shells are the most difficult to understand and render and finding an intact one on the rocky stretch of beach I wander is a rare occurrence.
So, I've completed four pieces and am well into the fifth.  Whelks in various stages of fractured status have been the subjects so far but I'm going to move on to oysters and clams next.  The image below is my rendition of an oyster shell.  More later!

6" x 9"/ink on paper