Seashells

Cornell loved the city, and many of his raw materials and inspiration drew from the industrialized landscape of the 20th century. I too enjoy the city, but find more happiness and inspiration from nature. I have included seashells because of my love of the ocean and insatiable appetite for the beach. Growing up in California, my free days were often filled with jaunts in the woods and to the beach. Cornell also includes the seashell motif in some of his pieces; in Naples a scallop shell helps preserve the feeling for a city which was almost destroyed in WWII through bombings. Though Cornell's collecting habits differed significantly from that of a typical beach comber, his boxes still contain fragments, or souvenirs, of his life.

Left: Joseph Cornell, Naples, 1942