Smile for the Camera

ELATION tries to tell me the ‘artful’ story of an oyster that had lived in the waters of Fox Island, PEI.

My interpretation of what I see is that it all began when a forceful energy, channeled from the depths, swelled upwards toward the light bringing with it a rusty sediment it had disturbed. I know its story doesn’t begin like that for everyone. Nor does it end so quickly. That’s up to whoever is looking at Elation to interpret for themselves about this little shell.
Elation was inspired by this oyster shell. The small area within the red box is the section that was photographed for the artwork. Fox Island is located in Prince County in the western portion of Prince Edward Island. This section of map from Meacham’s 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows Fox Island which now has a small bridge connecting it to the mainland.

Brandy visited my Tyne Valley Oyster Art Gallery to bring me a selection of oyster shells (minus the oysters). Very few of the shells I collect are photogenic. Fortunately several of Brandy’s oyster shells ‘smiled’ for the camera—one of them became Elation.

The cool fresh waters of PEI’s bays and estuaries provide optimal growing conditions for farmed oysters. Brandy Foley is an aquafarmer who passionately raises oysters on leased grounds off shore of Fox Island. It was her oyster shell that inspired ‘Elation’.

Take a virtual boat ride with Brandy as she drives by the cages of her raised oyster lease near Fox Island, PE

Here are a few more images of ‘Elation’. You can see all the sizes and ways it can be printed (fine art paper, canvas and acrylic) by clicking here.