Lost Creek Studios: featuring the Artwork and Photography of Kenneth Frizzell

These are mussel shells from the Tennessee River. The shells are picked for size and the beauty of the natural pearl colors of the shells, hand-painted with a local wildlife scene and then mounted on driftwood that has been collected from the banks of the river. The white-pearl colored shells are 'wash-boards' and have been prized for the quality and color of the shells for generations. They have been used for centuries for buttons and pearl-inlay, the major use for them today is the Japanese cultured pearl market. The shells are harvested by divers and shipped to Japan where they are cut up into beads for implant in oysters. These oysters coat the beads with pearl material, effectively turning the bead into a 'cultured pearl'. The shells from the nearby Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake are the highest quality shells in the world for the cultured pearl industry. Having been a shell diver/artist for most of my life, it was a natural progression to use these beautiful works of nature as my canvas.

The shells with the deep purple color are known as 'heel-splitters' because of their habit of burying in the sand or mud in shallow water with the sharp 'fin' of the hinge sticking out. If you ever step on one bare-footed you will understand the name. Despite being almost paper thin, they have a very beautiful coloration, making them prized by jewelry makers around the world. I usually paint a winter scene on these types of shells.