“Hearts and Flowers #1” is the name of this Westport Valentine - a sailor's valentine lovingly crafted by Barbara Chadwick of Westport, MA. It features three heart cockles on a mound of pastel spring “flowers” made of coquina. There are shells from the Pacific, umbonium, and sea urchin cheeks as well as a strand of cultured pearls.

The title “sailor’s valentine” may lead you to think that Victorian-era seamen created them when off-duty on deck. But this beautiful art form actually originated in Barbados. Outbound sailors placed orders, then picked up the valentines for their sweethearts when returning from whaling voyages.

Westport Valentines creator Barbara Chadwick is a member of the South Coast Artists, with members in Westport and Dartmouth, MA, and Tiverton and Little Compton, RI.