Four Days of Shelling at Sanibel Island by Jenny Keyser. Canvas, acrylic paint, trash, acrylic sealer. "This piece consists of a canvas thickly painted with white acrylic paint, 10 pounds of collected trash sewn on with clear filament and sealed with a UV protected acrylic sealer.

My piece, “Four Days of Shelling at Sanibel Island”, shows the trash I collected while shelling with my daughter at Sanibel. I shelled there as a child and I do not remember seeing one piece of trash. Then the beaches were filled with shells and ocean life. This time the currents brought 10lbs of gross, stinky trash. Our first day shelling, I filled my bag with trash rather than shells. Everything I found is included in the necklace. This is a snapshot of what we have done to our oceans. Necklaces are items that people wear, this is not a wearable necklace, but it is ours to bear. I hope this piece helps bring more attention to the health of our oceans. I am a jeweler, sculptor and painter. My work has been acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Oregon, published in 1,000 Beads and has been sold at Barney’s New York.