Hi Andy!

Well that just frittered away an hour that I should have been in the
studio!


"I recently read a book about people who are obsessed with collecting
orchids. The author said that only a few kinds of natural objects
capture so many people's attention in this way, and mentioned butterfly
and shell collectors as people who are similarly obsessed with beauty.
Indeed."

Was it that Orleans book, "The Orchid Thief" or Eric Hansen's "Orchid
Fever"? The former is, IMO, overrated while the latter is much more
interesting and fun.

**************************************************************

"What kinds of shells take your breath away?"

I like shells big and small, sturdy and delicate, ornate and simple.
I'm fascinated by structure and markings and by how they live. I work
with clay. Mollusks create objects that outshine the work of the most
skilled human artists. They awe and humble me.

  A Xenophora with an especially interesting collection of assortment of
attachments thrills me.
Cones, for the markings and the hunting mechanism.
Volutes for the diversity of structures and textures and markings.
Murex, Olives, Spondylus, conch, tritons, top snails, tuns, spindles,
all of them take my breath away.
Don't make me choose! It is the diversity that keeps me excited. There
is always something new.

**************************************************************

"Do you spend more time collecting and caring for shells, or just
looking at them?"

Hard to say.
And as for what part of the hobby is my favorite, that's tough too. I
love the hunt, I love being in the habitat. Finding a special shell
makes my pulse pound. But I'm of that artsy-fartsy bohemian temperament
that hoards like a magpie. No, make that, collects like a Xenophora.

But I also love the learning process. I like the detective work, the
clues that help me find it:  What does it eat? How does it avoid being
eaten? What purpose might the design of the shell serve? Where does the
animal live?

I try to learn as much about the entire habitat all the creatures in
it. If a day of snorkeling yields no fine shells, but I see something
new, like a jawfish with its mouth full of eggs or a new nudibranch, it
is a successful day for me. And I'll stop in my tracks and forget
shells entirely if there are cephalopods in the water who will tolerate
my company.

**************************************************************
"Do you display your shells?"
Some. I haven't room to display them all. I also usually have one or
two in my pocket or bag and it my car.

**************************************************************
 "Do you collect books about shells?"
Yes and about marine life in general. I collect books period. But
marine biology books are the biggest part of my library.

**************************************************************
"Do you talk much about them to other people, or is it a private
activity?"
Oh, I'll talk plenty if I'm with someone who is interested. But it
amazes me how many people can walk into my living room which is filled
with shells and art and not seem to notice any of it.

**************************************************************
"Do you appreciate shells for their looks or the way they feel?"
Both!

**************************************************************
"Is a living mollusk more beautiful, or a cleaned shell?"

"That's apples and oranges. The sea is full of so many beautiful
creatures. The shells are the part that you can keep and hold, the part
that holds the beauty and does not decay. You can't say the same about
an orchid or a sea slug, for that matter. But that doesn't make one
more lovely than the other.

**************************************************************
Are self-collected specimens more precious, or those that cost a lot
of money?

"Self-collected, because they often come with wonderful memories of
adventures and friendships, of beautiful places or the difficulty of
collection.

  I have a triangular typhis that I found because a jellyfish tentacle
got inside my diveskin. In my frantic and hilarious underwater struggle
to remove my clothing while snorkeling (yet staying submerged because I
was over my head.), I was rolling in the water like an addled otter in
kelp. On one wriggling spin, I looked down at a flat rock beneath me
and spotted the tiny treasure. You can't buy a moment like that.


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