Sailors' Valentines - by Shannon Webster

As a Sailors’ Valentine artist, I obviously have a passion for sea shells! My husband and I have been collecting seashells on beaches around the world for over 3 decades. When I began working in the recently revived art of creating Sailors’ Valentines, I discovered how quickly 30 years of shells could disappear. Although it can seem to be a laborious task placing each and every little shell by hand or with tweezers, the fulfillment and enjoyment of seeing the Valentines come together more than compensates me for my efforts. It is truly my favorite part. As a Valentine artist, I have learned to just “go with the flow”. Some artists fully design their Valentines in advance. Once I initiate the basic layout and achieve the symetry, I never know what my Valentines are going to look like until they are actually finished. That makes it so much fun for me! A picture or song or even a smell or memory might trigger an idea in my brain for my next one and then the Valentine just “evolves” as I begin the work on it. I am completely hooked on making them and each finished one is truly unique from the others.

On a personal side, I reside with my husband of over 37 years in a small seaside town in north Florida. When Daniel is not away with his job as a professional Yacht Captain of a 120′ charter yacht, he too likes to create Sailors’ Valentines in his spare time. As a very accomplished craftsmen in woodworking, he also constructs his own Sailors’ Valentine display cases. The population of our little beach community is approximately 5,500 total including the snow birds in the winter time. The locals call our beach, “The Peaceful Beach” because it is never crowded except for loads of coquina shells and a few surfers looking for the perfect wave! Please take a moment to review my work and if you have questions or would like to purchase a Sailors Valentine or other shellart for yourself, friend or business associate, please feel free to email me personally for further details and pricing. I also accept orders to create custom & personalized Valentines to order on a commission basis.  

*All commission pieces require a 50% deposit.