The snail keeper

Oil and acrylic on wood fibre gessoed board

size 70 x 50 cm

no frame

This is me. As a child. I spent every holiday at my grandmother's house in the countryside and my favourite pastime was "herding" snails, organising races, building towns, maternity hospitals and hospitals. I had dozens to hundreds of them and every morning I would come to a corner of the garden and collect and house them all over and over again. I had couples, children's groups, senior groups and racers groups. I knew every snail in our big garden and they were better company than the real neighborhood kids. I often think of that time, all my friends, and to them I dedicate this painting. I believe it will find its way to an owner who had a similar experience to mine :-). 

10 snail facts

1. There are over 40000 different types of snails
2. They can live in seawater, freshwater or on land
3. The giant african land snail is one of the largest snails in the world
4. The smallest snail in the world is less then 0,03 inches
5. They are not mammals or reptiles
6. They have teeth, many teeth
7. Like turtles, they retreat into their shell when a threat is nearby
8. Most snails are hermaphrodites
9. Their shells grow with them
10. They participate in snail races :-)

(www.a-z-animals.com)