What keepsakes do you collect and hold onto?

My mom recently found a bag filled with seashells (and a bit of sand) that I saved as a kid. I remember lining the tiny shells from our family beach trip around the edge of my treehouse. My little treasures.

I still collect shells to this day. I have some in the studio, others in flower pots in the backyard and I’ve started a new collection in a glass bowl from my grandmother that’s in the den. Seashells are like snowflakes, each one different and unique. They remind me of adventures I’ve had and make me excited for the adventures to come. So it felt fitting for the first paintings in the new studio to be seashells!

I have four 5x7 in. shells on paper for you that I will be popping into their wooden, tabletop frames (from a local shop here in Wilmington) this afternoon! Paintings are mixed media — acrylic and pencil — and have been sprayed with UV protection. Each one is $110 + shipping.

You can add a shell to your own collection Friday, Jan. 7, at 10 a.m. EST, at www.sarahjanetart.com/paintings.