Garibaldi in Kelp

I spent many hours looking at kelp out at Catalina Island trying to get the color and the shape just right.  This piece represents one entire kelp plant from the ocean floor to the surface.  I tried to capture the movement of the plant as the current moves past.  The bright orange fish, called Garabaldi are often found amongst the kelp fronds.  

The piece is actually a work of dimensional appliqué.  Each of the kelp fronds is an individual piece that has been appliquéd onto the background.   The fish are 3-dimensional stuffed creatures that have been tacked onto the background as well.  The ocean floor was made by piecing together many different fabrics and then texturizing with a sewing machine.

This piece measures about 2 feet wide by 6 feet tall. It needed to be very long and narrow in order to show the kelp plant from top to bottom.