Reverence for Nature Gallery Wrap

Loosely translated from Tahitian, Faa Tura te Natura speaks of reverence for nature. Not unlike Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, Polynesian people move through their island home with their arms outstretched; - reaching for the melody their Creator ladled into the earth and sea all around them. When they find that rhythm, they sing and dance and tell the stories they hear as a form of worship;

The ocean and its shores have always been a place of sanctuary for me.

One time when I was stomping around the house, one of my kids said, “Mom needs to go to the beach!” They were right. The beach is a reset. A place I hear a melody and a plan for me all around. I come home refreshed and recentered, grateful to my Creator for the peace and the power of nature;

I love how the Polynesian people express their reverence for nature through dance. I can't dance but I can glue shells on stuff.

Reproduced from the artist's original artwork of arranged shells and other natural items.

Our Float Frame is custom-made with a small gap between the frame and canvas to accentuate the edges of the artwork and give the illusion of a floating image within the frame.

Forty-three years ago, my parents named me Shel having no idea what obsession was in my future. I grew up loving all things ocean and married another thalassophile shortly after he returned from his mission in French Polynesia. We have five children - three daughters and two sons. I was an art major at Southern Utah University and used that knowledge to become a graphic designer to support my husband as he finished at BYU and went on to medical school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and further training in Saint Louis, Missouri where we decided to stay.

I have dabbled in all forms of art all my life from collage to sculpture to painting but only recently found my niche when I used my collection of seashells to create a portrait of one of my daughters in the fall of 2020. Since then, I have gone on three more shelling expeditions in Florida and Alabama to collect more supplies with which to work and have used those and more sent to me by friends, family and even strangers to create two more pieces. I’ve never been so passionate about anything before. Every part of the process makes me so happy. Finding the shells, sorting, cleaning and finally creating with them - I could do any part indefinitely and be thrilled with the opportunity. I have found my identity and the way I want to express myself, and I am grateful to be a Shel. 

If your order has a time sensitivity that requires expedited shipping, please Contact Us so that we can confirm our ability to meet your time requirements.

Many of the items on our site are custom made or built to order, especially framed items. A shipping time requested as "2-Day Priority Mail" refers to the shipment time once the item has shipped and does not include any assembly window. We pride ourselves on our efficient and timely system, but the complexity of an order will impact delivery. Orders to Hawaii may take 3-4 weeks to arrive via USPS. If you need your order sooner, please reach out to customerservice@ldsart.com. 

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