She Sells Sea Shells

Behind the painting

The story of She Sells Sea Shells.

I painted She Sells Sea Shells in 2018 while I was raising young children alone and working nights to provide for them. It was a chapter of survival, sacrifice, and quiet strength.

Her soft, curled form became a shell protecting its treasure. She held something of the woman I needed to be for my children: protective, resilient, and able to keep going while still holding on to softness.

My daughter Bella was six when she walked in and asked what I was painting. I instinctively answered, “a sea shell.” That simple exchange became part of the painting’s story and the meaning of her title.

The “sells” in her title speaks to the time I spent away from my children while I worked to provide for them. When I say I was selling pieces of myself, I mean those hours away from them. I was giving up time with them so I could give them what they needed.

The colors were an instinctive choice. I really liked the teal, and I thought the metallic gold went beautifully with it. I painted her in acrylic on canvas, bringing those colors into the soft curves of her body.

She Sells Sea Shells took roughly ten to fifteen hours to paint. She holds both parts of that chapter for me: protecting the children I treasured and giving my time to provide for them.

Acrylic on canvas · 16 × 20 inches · 2018