Artists and photographers who capture the beauty of Tenby Harbour are more likely to be wearing a pair of jeans than using them to create their work.

But not in the case of textile artist Karen Evans.

She has used virtually every scrap of a discarded pair of Levi’s 501s to compose a stunning blue-hued Tenby Harbour scene, in memory of happy childhood holidays and particularly her late mum.

Was it just a coincidence that the iconic denim brand bills itself as 'a blank canvas for self-expression'?

Western Telegraph: Karen is pictured with her denim creation in her gallery in Caerphilly.Karen is pictured with her denim creation in her gallery in Caerphilly. (Image: Karen Evans)

Karen, 55, who runs Y Galeri Caerffili at Caerphilly and has been creating textile pictures of people, places and scenes since the pandemic, is currently overwhelmed by the public’s reaction to the picture after she posted it on social media.

‘Amazing talent’, ‘what a cool idea’, ‘fantastic!’, ‘incredible’ and ‘fabulous’ were amongst dozens of comments on the Tenby Together page.

“When I was a child, all our family holidays were down in Tenby and it was part of growing up,” said Karen. “Tenby was my mum’s favourite place, and that goes to make it something very special for me.

“I’ve wanted to do a piece made out of denim for some time and when I was given an old pair of Levi's 501s that really inspired me and I wanted it to be of Tenby.

“It took me between three and four weeks, and I used virtually every scrap of material in the jeans, even the little red labels.

Western Telegraph: The artwork doesn't have a price tag yet.The artwork doesn't have a price tag yet. (Image: Karen Evans)

“It was amazing how many shades of blue were in one pair of jeans, and it really helped me capture the waves and the boats and the little rock on the harbour beach where we used to sit.

“I really enjoyed doing it, and it’s had a lot of attention from people coming into the gallery.”

Western Telegraph: Tenby Harbour is pictured in another moody light.Tenby Harbour is pictured in another moody light. (Image: Gareth Davies Photography)

Karen was a nursery nurse in schools in Caerphilly for 35 years before taking over the gallery opposite the castle in the centre of the town nearly two years ago.

“I’d always enjoyed doing art with the children, and when Covid came along and I lost my mum, I started making pictures out of scraps of fabric,” she explained.

“It just went from there then, and I now sell my textile art paintings alongside the work of other artists and craftspeople, and also take on commissions.”

Western Telegraph: Another Tenby creation from Karen.Another Tenby creation from Karen. (Image: Karen Evans)

One of Karen’s other Tenby pictures in her gallery, created with coloured material and acrylic paints, is selling for £400, but there is currently no price tag on her beautiful denim harbour scene.

“People are saying I should enter it into a competition, so I may do that, but it’s so special to me that I feel a bit reluctant to part with it at the moment,” she admitted.