Have you ever stepped way outside your comfort zone? I decided to do just that in May 2023. In Canada May 1-7 is Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mental Health Week! With it bringing attention to the importance of good mental health I wanted to speak up about my journey by creating this video. I’ve had my own experiences with the highs and lows this world…

In May of 2022, during a phone chat with Oyster Art enthusiast and patron Linda in Calgary, she told me that on the shores of Vancouver Island there were fantastic Pacific oysters with shells that are quite different in appearance from our Atlantic oysters. She wondered if I might be interested in photographing some of them. When I indicated that it could be something to…

“How did I get an oyster shell from Denmark?” In 2020 I saw an Instagram post showing some beautiful oysters from Denmark. I immediately commented that the shells looked like they needed to be photographed. (Hint, hint!) I was ecstatic when a reply graciously offered to send me some empty shells. With each passing week I began to wonder if the promise of shells was…

I highly recommend you grab a cuppa and enjoy this truly captivating one-minute video. It’s an engaging insight into those who are grateful for a livelihood governed by winds, tides and briny waters that rarely forgive and seldom forget. In Prince Edward Island’s communities where fishing is a labour of love “Not Humble” is their story; there are no actors here. Ready? Start watching video…

Over the years I’ve come to appreciate the diversity of observations people make when talking and writing about what they see in the Oyster Art. Visitors to my gallery are always pointing out different things they see in my artwork. The Shell of a Story writing competition provided people with an opportunity to be creative with their writing when presented with a visual prompt. Congratulations…

I absolutely loved seeing the warm and cool colours hiding in such a tiny area on the inside of this oyster shell. When looking at this I see, and hear, the percussive sound of the waves crashing against the cliff heralding their sculpting effect. Now you know why I named this piece “Percussion”. Your perception may be different, but I think that’s what makes Oyster…

What do California, Alaska and Prince Edward Island have in common? On this occasion it’s this large oyster . . . or more specifically this oyster shell! Its journey began when Regan Schneider in Temecula, California, USA ordered fresh Shikat (she-cat) Bay Oysters raised by Den Chevaviroj in Southeast Alaska. I began following Regan (a.k.a @theoyster_somm ) on Instagram because of her posts about tasting…

Since these spectacularly arresting colours channel happy thoughts into my day it seemed fitting that this Oyster Art be called ‘Channeling’. I made a 335km round trip to St Peters Bay, on Prince Edward Island’s north shore looking for oyster shells. It was taking a chance that I’d find at least one interesting one. As it turned out the journey was well worth it! Shown…

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…

Life is full of potential. With persistence it holds the possibility of encountering something special. That’s why “the world’s mine oyster”, a quote from Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor”,  has evolved into a favourite metaphor for life: “the world’s your oyster”. If you have an oyster there is a chance that there may be a pearl in it. Recently an edited version of that…

The hallmark of oyster fishing is a set of oyster tongs which are a long scissor-like tool with metal rakes on the ends.The handles range from six to 16 feet long and the rake ends, or heads, are two to three feet wide with teeth spaced one and a half inches apart. The handles are joined together about one-third the way up from the bottom…

In future, when I look at this Oyster Art, my experience will be forever enriched by the astounding creativity of all the stories submitted. Each one took me on a new journey of appreciation for the artwork making it difficult to choose just one winner. Congratulations and thanks to Dara Naraghi from the United States of America for his winning story ISBRYDER. Listen to Dara…