This painting reimagines the paua shell - its shifting blues and purples glowing like something both cosmic and oceanic.

Paua is tied to Aotearoa, but here it’s rendered with sharp studs and metallic shine, giving it the edge of a keepsake from an emo teenage bedroom.

The shell becomes a crossover between the natural and the subcultural: soft, iridescent beauty set against spiked adornment. It carries the same energy as growing up by the beach, listening to emo and punk, mixing fragility with attitude.

18×18” canvas size (frame is 1-2" on top of the canvas size)

Acrylic, oil and pencil on treated canvas.
Framed in dark oak Toronto made frame and ready to hang.
They are each unique pieces from Jacqueline May from the group show ‘Four Play’.