Anita Marci's "Sand and Shells"

"Sand and Shells" is a painting that contains natural elements in addition to the canvas and acrylic paint.  The sand had to be sifted and cleaned extensively to make it free of debris.  I ordered the shells on line as it is very difficult to find shells here on Maui and I wanted them to be uniform.  It was tedious work to complete this piece.  I painted thinned "Tacky" glue with a paintbrush in small sections. Then, I placed the tiny shells on the glue and sprinkled the sand over the area.  When the canvas was dry, I held it vertically to dump the excess sand.  Finally, when all the elements were in place, I painted a very soft pink- like the inside of a shell- in the background.  Before I did this piece, I created a sample piece to make sure I could stretch the canvas without the shells popping off. Fortunately, it worked and the piece was a success.  This art has a custom plexi-glass case with wood molding around it.  The molding is painted to match the wall and the lights above it cast interesting shadows. This hangs in the grandchildren's room. There aren't any grandchildren yet, but their room is ready for them when they come!