Many of us like to collect seashells and pebbles when we go to the beach. The New York-based artist Anna Chan took this popular pastime to the next level. When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, work dried up for Chan, who is a jewelry designer by profession. To pass the time, she and her 10-year-old daughter spent their days at the beach.
And this is how the artist’s new project was born. The first sand and shell sculpture Chan created was a turtle, and now her portfolio features an array of land and sea animals. She carefully chooses shells that match the real-life characteristics of each animal. For example, a bird’s wings are made of horseshoe crab tails and a lion’s mane is sculpted from broken pieces of yellowish shells.
According to Chan, sculpting the pieces was liberating and relaxing during the difficult times of lockdown. But what was once a hobby has now turned into the main focus of her artistic work. “I saw great potential with this new medium and was determined to keep refining my work, so I moved some sand and seashells to my garage and that is where I work today,” Chan told My Modern Met. Take a look at Chan’s lovely shell art, and you are guaranteed to fall in love with it too.
