Sea and Sand: Palette Knife Paintings from Fort Zachary Taylor Beach
This Sea and Sand series is a collection of coastal themed acrylic palette knife paintings created at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach in Key West. Each piece combines thick, expressive paint with real beach sand and shell fragments gathered directly from the shoreline.
On days when I take my paints to Fort Zach, I get to combine two of my favorite things:
the beach and painting.
I set up outdoors—often at one of the picnic tables—with the water nearby and the breeze moving through. Painting there slows me down. It turns the process into something quieter and more connected to place.
Painting with Texture and Place
These paintings are built using a palette knife, layering acrylic paint to create movement and depth in the water. What makes them different is what’s embedded in the surface—actual sand and tiny shell bits collected from Fort Zach beach itself.
I’ve loved collecting seashells since I was a child. Any beach visit usually includes a little wandering and looking down. But here’s the honest truth:
Key West isn’t known for perfect beaches or an abundance of intact seashells.
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Shells and coral fragments collected at Fort Zachary Taylor beach in Key West—simple beach finds that become texture and shoreline in my Sea and Sand paintings.
| What Makes Fort Zach Beach Different |
Our sand is made up of rough coral bits and small pebbles. The shells are often broken or tiny. What you do find are pieces of branch coral, worn shell fragments, and the occasional speck of sea glass.
It’s subtle. Textural. And very real.
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Shells, coral fragments, and pebbles collected at Fort Zachary Taylor beach in Key West—materials I use to create my Sea and Sand paintings. |
Instead of idealizing the shoreline, I wanted these paintings to be accurate representations of Fort Zach. The materials in the paintings reflect what the beach actually feels like under your feet. The sand and shell fragments aren’t decoration—they’re part of the story.
About the Sea and Sand Series
This series includes:
Two large paintings at 16 x 20 inches
Three smaller paintings at 8 x 10 inches
Two Sea and Sand acrylic palette knife paintings by Maggie Ruley, inspired by Fort Zachary Taylor beach in Key West and finished with real coral sand and shell fragments.
Three 8 x 10 Sea and Sand paintings by Key West artist Maggie Ruley, created with palette knife acrylic and real sand collected from Fort Zachary Taylor State Park beach.
The smaller works were started outdoors at Fort Zach on January 1, 2026, then finished later in the studio. They carry that first-day-of-the-year feeling—fresh, calm, and quietly optimistic.
These paintings aren’t about dramatic waves or postcard perfection.
They’re about texture, place, and paying attention to what’s really there.
If you’ve spent time at Fort Zachary Taylor beach, you’ll recognize the sand in the paintings immediately.
I wanted these paintings to capture the beautiful colors of the water and the distinct texture of the sand.
The materials in the paintings reflect what the beach actually feels like under your feet. The sand and shell fragments aren’t decoration—they’re part of the story.
About the Artist
Maggie Ruley is a studio artist living in Key West, Florida. Her colorful, island-inspired acrylic paintings celebrate the charm, light, and character of Key West life. Maggie’s work is collected worldwide and can be found in island homes near and far.
She has been featured in The Key West Citizen, New York Daily News, and other publications.
Visit her studio and gallery, Maggie Ruley ~ Island Inspirations, at
www.maggieruley.com
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| Striking a pose with one of my new palette knife paintings. |
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