Shell Week: Sanibel's talented, creative shell artists hide treasures for visitors to find
Note to readers: The News-Press and Naples Daily News are presenting a series of stories, photos and videos this week about shells and shelling in Southwest Florida − from shell art to shelling etiquette and a closer look at the rare shells you can find on beaches here.A community of shell-painting artists has been brightening the days of visitors and residents on Sanibel Island. The artists are known as shell fairies. They sprinkle their beautifully-decorated shells at spots all over the island. Most of them do their sprinkling before businesses open in the morning or after they close in the evening.
Tiffany Jendrzejczyk, who moved to Sanibel after retiring from teaching in May 2022, decided to join the fun after finding a few painted shells. She found out what paints to use and started creating them herself.
"It helped keep me busy and gave me a purpose," Jendrzejczyk said. The hobby has helped her during the months of being displaced from her condo after Hurricane Ian.
Good news!: Sanibel's famed national shell museum to reopen its doors March 1 after Ian comeback
Each month, the Facebook group has a different theme to inspire the artists. January was the Charley Harper challenge. February was Valentine's Day and words of kindness.
Popular places to find the shells include: The Sanibel & Captiva Chamber of Commerce, Tuttles Seahorse Shell Shop, the Sanibel Marina, The Shack, Jerry's Foods, The Sanibel Community House and many of the island's beaches and restaurants.
Sharon Welker, who owns Tuttles Seahorse Shell Shop, is one of the administrators of the Sanibel Shells Facebook group where people who find the painted shells can post their treasures. The shell fairies also often make a post when they hide with hints for where they can be found.
Welker said that she got involved when two teachers from out of town left a shell outside her shop. After she found it and contacted them about it, they asked her to hide shells for them on Sanibel. They would ship her a box of shells, and she would hide them. But she found that she often ran out of shells, so she began decorating them herself.
"And then it just kind of blossomed and blossomed and blossomed. And I'm here every day so I'm called the shell fairy godmother just because everybody has access to me," Welker said. "I have people that come in and they cry because they're so happy they found a shell. Because it's uncanny. The shells have a way of finding you."
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Sanibel shell artists hide their work for visitors to find
