Shell Sculpture

Haven't you always wanted a crinoline lady made from shells? I was rather pleased to see that Peter Blake had loads of these shell ladies and other shell sculptures in his exhibition 'A Museum for Myself', which I saw last year. I managed to take a quick photo before the museum attendants changed their mind about whether I was allowed.

Shells are natural souvenirs of the seaside, of course. Who hasn't picked up a pretty shell off the beach and taken it home? And yes, you could just display your shells in their natural state and enjoy the subtle colours and organic shapes.

Or....

..you could let your imagination run amok and create something like this little monstrosity. I've looked at him quite a lot in taking these photos, and I'm still not entirely sure what he's supposed to be. A frog's head, on an un-froglike body, with a shell on his arm which makes me think of a warrior's shield. All hail, the frog warrior!