This hand-painted image of the nautilus shell was drawn from a specimen in the artist’s own seashell collection and represents my efforts to accurately depict its mysterious beauty. The finished pillow measures 20”x20” and is about 5” thick in the center. The commercial all-weather fabric is designed to withstand the effects of all sorts of climate conditions. The permanent textile paint is applied one at a time by hand (not a transfer, reprint, reproduction or decal). Spot cleanable, garden hosable, or gentle machine washable; air dry. Removable fiberfill insert is also easily laundered and air dried.
When the nautilus is born his shell has four chambers, but he can produce as many as thirty over his twenty-year lifespan. His body does not occupy the entire shell; rather as he outgrows his space, he seals off the outgrown chamber and expands outward. The inside of the nautilus shell is a beautiful iridescent white.
This intriguing animal is the subject of Oliver Wendell Holmes’ famous poem, The Chambered Nautilus: “ . . . Year after year beheld the silent toil that spread his lustrous coil; Still, as the spiral grew, He left the past year’s dwelling for the new . . . “. With his slow metabolism, he requires only one meal a month; generally shrimp, crabs or small fish. If you think the shell is pretty, you ought to take a look at the live creature!
Designed, painted, sewn, stuffed, signed and copyrighted beside the sea on an island in Washington State, where we have many beautiful seashells, but nothing like the chambered nautilus!
© Copyrighted 2011 by C. Chennault. All rights reserved.
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