Pendragan Art Studio

The Coral Gardener

72 x 57 cm. Hand embroidered appliqué on short pile chenille. £5,950

Turtles nurture coral reefs by nutrient cycling, controlling overgrowth of algae and sponges, and by dispersing coral seeds. This one is based on a green turtle.

The fish are angel fish, oriental butterfly fish and imperator butterfly fish. The corals include sea fan, organ pipe, flower pot, brain and mushroom. There are anemones and some imagined forms.

Following some pretty intense online research of sea turtles and their habitats, I began making the first sketches in early September 2024. The composition was completed in December that year. It took over four hundred hours of hand sewing, with a rich vocabulary of embroidery stitches, stumpwork and appliqué techniques.

Framed by yacht builder Tony Williams, my father.

Price: £5,950

The 8cm deep box frame is built from solid sapele wood, a sustainable species of mahogany. The art glass filters out 70% UV, to protect the piece from fading. I have signed the piece on the back.