Photo by Sarah Hirsch
Shellscapes originated in 1975 when Jim Harpole began collecting clamshells and painting their interiors. He continued to hand-paint over 20,000 Shellscapes in all 50 states and 36 countries. Harpole Shellscapes are painted on some of the largest and oldest specimens of freshwater shells in the world.
The shells were once taken from the rivers and streams of Wisconsin year round. Clams taken from the water were examined for natural pearls. One pearl found by Jim Harpole is now in the Americana Collection of Jewelry presented by the American Gem Society to the Smithsonian Institution.
Clam shells at one time supported a multi-million dollar mother-of-pearl button industry in the Midwest. Back then, over half a million dollars worth of pearls were taken from the Mississippi River Basin every year. While the harvesting of clamshells is now prohibited in some areas, other areas of the Basin still harvest and ship shells to Japan and the South Pacific to produce mother-of-pearl beads used in making cultured pearls.
Each Shellscapes painting is dated/numbered by the artist. They have been featured on 6 Midwestern TV stations and NBC Network News since 1979. Articles on Harpole Shellscapes have also appeared across Europe, on Column 1 in twenty Midwestern newspapers, and featured in Northwestern Jewelers and Wisconsin AAA magazines.
While Jim Harpole expressed his talent through many murals and paintings found throughout the Northwoods of Wisconsin, his ability to paint images on clamshells truly was his signature medium.
The shells were once taken from the rivers and streams of Wisconsin year round. Clams taken from the water were examined for natural pearls. One pearl found by Jim Harpole is now in the Americana Collection of Jewelry presented by the American Gem Society to the Smithsonian Institution.
Clam shells at one time supported a multi-million dollar mother-of-pearl button industry in the Midwest. Back then, over half a million dollars worth of pearls were taken from the Mississippi River Basin every year. While the harvesting of clamshells is now prohibited in some areas, other areas of the Basin still harvest and ship shells to Japan and the South Pacific to produce mother-of-pearl beads used in making cultured pearls.
Each Shellscapes painting is dated/numbered by the artist. They have been featured on 6 Midwestern TV stations and NBC Network News since 1979. Articles on Harpole Shellscapes have also appeared across Europe, on Column 1 in twenty Midwestern newspapers, and featured in Northwestern Jewelers and Wisconsin AAA magazines.
While Jim Harpole expressed his talent through many murals and paintings found throughout the Northwoods of Wisconsin, his ability to paint images on clamshells truly was his signature medium.
Serial# 18353, 2011, 5.5" x 3.75"
Serial# 18367, 2011, 5.75" x 4"
Serial# 18461, 2011, 6" x 4"
Serial# 18447, 2011, 4.6875" x 3.25"
Serial# 18427, 2011, 5.75" x 4"
Serial# 18416, 2011, 5.8125" x 4"
Serial# 18423, 2011, 6.25" x 4"
Serial# 18392, 2011, 6.1875" x 3.9375"
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Serial# 18449, 2011, 5.0625" x 3.0625"
Winter Scene - Brown, Serial# 18465, 2011, 4.9375" x 3"
Winter Scene - Purple, Serial# 18463, 2011, 4.75" x 3.25"
Serial# 18356, 2011, 5.625" x 3.9375"
Serial# 18434, 2011, 4.75" x 3.375"
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Shellscapes Registry
Are you the proud owner of a Harpole Shellscape? Contact us and we will post your shell for all to see in the Shellscapes Registry.