KAYAK VOYAGERS LLC
ALVA, FLORIDA

Sign up for Kayak Voyagers Newsletter Camille and I were awestruck on our first visit. Not only did Ella have several pieces on display, she has also decorated the door frames and window frames in her home with seashells. She had several seashell floral arrangements ready to send out for Mother’s Day orders. They looked like real flowers, however, a closer look confirmed the petals were shells. In fact, everything in the arrangement came from the sea. The leaves and stems were from sponges and coral. Ella Mae creates pieces by request or by inspiration. The ship was commissioned by someone employed by one of the cruise lines that stops at nearby Stirrup Cay. She also makes small pieces for sale to tourist at the straw market on Stirrup Cay. Sometimes she will start a piece without a clear idea for the end result and let it evolve. The Koala bear was created in this manner. Using common materials in an unusual way, Ella sees potential that others miss. I asked Ella about her source of seashells. I was curious because I didn’t see the volume or variety of shells that she would need here in The Berry Islands. She said that most of the shells she uses come from Long Island where there are more of them. Still, she sources from several different places in The Bahamas in order to be able to use the variety she does. None of the shells were collected alive. For instance, the Queen Conch shells had been discarded after the meat was harvested. The small shells are collected by sifting through beach sand. Ella recruits family and friends to help with the time consuming and laborious process of combing the beaches and mining the sand. Ella Mae isn’t the first Caribbean to create striking artwork using seashells. Early in the 19th century, Sailor’s Valentines made of seashells began making their way out of Barbados. These pieces framed by octagonal compass boxes and sometimes customized for a loved one left behind in Europe. Later in the 19th century, L.D. Powels wrote in Sign up for Kayak Voyagers Newsletter