Our event this month include Art Walk, the Sanibel Community House Arts & Crafts Fair, and a drawing event at Sanibel Library - view the list on our Local Events page.

During February, we will be continuing several art projects featuring shells and cephalopods, and wrapping up a new coloring book project.

On Patreon this month, we will be discussing one of our book projects, our current art projects, and releasing 2 new sticker designs.

Photo above: a recent photo from Sanibel Island

Apple murex shells are large sea snails found in Florida. They feature lacy vertical stripes and ridges and one large round opening. This is a fairly common find on Southwest Florida beaches, and often when I find one, I find many of them. The apple murex is one of 6 murex species found here.
Scientific name of the Apple Murex: Phyllonotus pomum
Coloring: brown and white stripes, sometimes featuring pink, orange, purple and reddish-brown hues.
Size: up to about 5 inches
​Apple murex live in coral reefs, mangroves, shell beds, rock and sand. They are carnivorous gastropods, drilling holes in bivalves.

The Florida horse conch, also know as the giant horse conch, is the largest snail in the United States. They are the state shell of Florida. Horse conchs contain a large opening which has been used as a drinking vessel and for holding other liquids in the past. They are known for their pronounced spiral tips and are popular with shell hunters and collectors alike. Due to the juveniles bright colors, they are easier to spot amongst other shells as they roll in with the tide. These shells can be found around the beaches of Sanibel and other local barrier islands.
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Scientific name of the Florida Horse Conch: Triplofusus giganteus
Coloring: adults range from off white, tan to dark brown while juveniles may be vivid colors ranging from yellow, golden and bright orange.
Size: up to about 24 inches long. The juveniles in the photo are under one inch in length.
Florida horse conchs are found along the coasts of the North Carolina down to the Yucatán in the Gulf of Mexico.

Our events this month include the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Fort Myers, and a painting event at the Sanibel Library - view the list on our Local Events page.

During the summer months we have been focussing on creating new artwork for Halloween, the winter holidays, and some fun cephalopods! We look forward to sharing a variety of new items during the upcoming season. Some hand-painted Halloween ornaments are now available in the shop!

On Patreon this month, we will be releasing some digital coloring pages from our upcoming coloring books. We will also be releasing two new sticker designs.

Photo above:  a rather large shell we recently found on Sanibel.