About the Swimming Sea Turtles

The sea turtle series was one of my first undertakings when I became a bronze artist. As a diver I found that my encounters with these beautiful and graceful creatures were overwhelming and very inspirational. For me to swim amongst the sea turtles in warm tropical waters throughout the south Pacific was a life changing experience – I started sculpting!

What I strived to achieve with these sculptures is a sense of gracefulness and strength. The turtles look like they are gently gliding over the edge of a coral reef.

My turtle sculptures are deeply textured with an intricate pattern that is complimentary to the simple and metallic looking patinas I apply to the pieces. The sculptures most closely resemble the green sea turtle.

Each of the sculptures is structured such that the weight of the turtle is delicately and evenly balanced over the cast base with the main body of the turtle supported by one small point of attachment on the rear flipper. The larger turtle sculpture is also available without the base and is well suited for outdoor installation mounting to the piece directly to rock within an existing water feature.

I have three sea turtle sculptures available this year. The largest and most dramatic is the swimming sea turtle (Big Tortuga) mounted on a piece of simulated cast coral. The first edition run of this sculpture has been sold out and I am currently working on a new, similar edition that will be available in the fall of 2008.

Two smaller versions of the swimming sea turtle are also available. Little Tortuga is also mounted on a cast piece of coral and rock and is roughly one quarter the size of the big sculpture. The Baby Tortuga is mounted directly on a piece of rock with a small limpet shell on the front surface. This piece is well suited as a desk top ornament.



• Large Sea Turtle on Simulated Coral  – Edition of 10. Size 25 x 28 x 11 inches.
• African Tortoise – Edition of 10. Size 17 x 13 x 12 inches.
• Small Sea Turtle on Lava like Rock  – Edition of 30. Size 10 x 9 x 8 inches.

For further information on the bronze sea turtle sculptures please contact Paul at paharder@shaw.ca or by telephone (250) 656-7783.