...for  the mouth and the eyes
 
"The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell."
~ Andrew Carnigie
 
And what about the pearl?  All the more gift of the sea that keeps giving.  
 
First by the foodie, then by the artist! Then to the reicipents of the enduring image of the beautiful bivalve.
 
It was first harvested from the world renowned pristine waters of the Virginia Barrier Islands.
 
Then enjoyed, hopefully with champagne as
Christy Brinkley suggests:
"Life is too short to not have oysters and champagne sometimes.""
 
Then the shell thoroughly cleansed and hand-painted by my abundantly talented sister.  Then I photographed it and further embelleds the photo with acrylic pens and paint, gel medium and sealant.
 
I mounted the photo to a stiff handpanted canvas board, then onto a gold handpainted stretched canvas. It does not include any hanging fixtures. 
 
Bon Apetite!