"The Shallows" Custom Levi's

Main View

Inside Face

Back View

Style Shot

The Inspiration

The Base Shoes

Finished Beach

Water Partially Finished

Water Finished and Blended

Populating the Shoreline

One Shoreline Populated

Second Shoreline Populated

These shoes were created for someone close to me. They are themed after the shores of a beach, with the bright colors and warm feelings of sun and sand expressed on a simple canvas. I used acrylic paints and a variety of brushes to produce these shoes.

My goal for this project was to expand on an art piece I had created for this same person (the painted letter K in the gallery). I began with a simple pair of white Levi's shoes with a floral pattern on the inside. I wanted to make the previous art piece flow logically into these shoes, so I began by outlining the way that the shoreline would flow from the letter onto the shoes. After painting the beach and ocean, I used bright pastel colors to create the vibrant seashells reminiscent of the ones found on the shores of my hometown, Miami.

The story on these shoes begins with the turtles hatching on the shore. They are making their way to the ocean, unaware of the giant foot in their waters. The turtles were disturbed by the feet entering the water, and are all swimming away from them.

This project took about 1.5 weeks.