This Scottish Artist is Creating Beautiful Art With Seashells From Scottish Beaches

We all enjoyed collecting seashells when we were younger, but one woman from Scotland managed to turn it into an art form. Dorothy of Traigh Alba is collecting shells, pebbles, sea pottery, and sea glass from the shores of Scotland and transforming them into works of art.

Traigh Alba means “Scotland beach” in Gaelic, and it’s the most fitting name for this brand. Its founder Dorothy specializes in the practice of ethical shelling, and her art is as sustainable as it gets because she strives towards preserving the natural beauty of objects collected along the Scottish coastline.

“I prioritize the preservation of the marine ecosystems I visit and I collect only materials that are naturally washed onto the shore by the sea. I comb the same beaches infrequently and take only small quantities of empty shells, focussing on common varieties and never harming any animals,” she explains on her Etsy page.

Dorothy’s art is inspired by her fascination for objects that are sea-worn and shaped by the ocean. She enjoys curating and arranging them together, using her art to capture the essence of the beaches that she knows and loves. She always labels her art with places where she stumbled upon individual shells and pebbles, making sure people can connect with them through her art.