Original coastal folk art handcrafted by Mathew Skelly in Erie, PA. Sculptural driftwood shaped by freshwater waves, hollowed and inlaid with natural, frosted Lake Erie beach glass.
Rooted in Erie, Pennsylvania (814), Terrapin Treasures 814 was born along the rugged stretches of Lake Erie's coastline. What many pass by as weathered flotsam, Mathew sees as raw sculptural opportunity.
Mathew scours the sandbars, rocky shoals, and bluffs of Lake Erie after seasonal storms to forage timber tumbled smooth by freshwater currents and ice. In his Erie studio, each branch and root is carefully dried, sculpted, and hollowed with organic cutouts.
These cutouts are then filled with authentic, surf-tumbled Lake Erie beach glass, greens, ambers, frosted whites, and cobalt blues, creating glowing mosaics that catch natural sunlight and celebrate the spirit of Great Lakes folk art.
100%
Lake Erie Foraged
1 of 1
Every Piece Unique
814
Handmade in Erie, PA
Every material is ethically collected along Lake Erie shores. Wave-smoothed driftwood and frosty beach glass weathered over decades are hand-picked for density, grain, and color.
The wood is treated, dried, and cleaned. Mathew carves negative relief windows into natural contours, following the spirit of terrapins, aquatic currents, and natural hollows.
Individual beach glass pieces are sorted by tone and seamlessly set into the cutouts. When placed in front of light or a window, the glass casts brilliant coastal reflections.
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Available
This standing driftwood Sculpture features an assortment of pottery pieces arranged inside a "pane" frosted white glass, along with a piece of copper wire to accentuate the heart shape.
Available
Signature cut-out style sculpture cut from curled lake root driftwood, embedded with thick, frosty whites and rare cobalt Lake Erie glass. The heart portion of this sculpture has also been embellished with a beautiful sunset-esque gradient of color! TEST!
Available
Sun bleached Driftwood featuring an intricate carving of an hourglass, strategically filled with pieces of clear, white and amber colored beach glass.
Available
This driftwood sculpture features pieces of an old tape measure, surrounded by a pane of frosty white Lake Erie beach glass embedded in driftwood.
Free studio pickup or local drop-off available in the Erie 814 area. Continental US shipping calculated during checkout.
A retrospective of custom orders, private collections, and works found in lake homes across the Great Lakes region and around the world.
Have a specific dimension, wall space, or favorite beach glass palette (soft blues, frosted whites, or rare amber)? Mathew takes select custom commissions throughout the year.
