VickiM - I looked at this - a lot - and zoomed in and out. I think the sun is def. paperpieced. The rest is a mishmash of fabric. The sky/sea is all different prints with an applique boat. the beach and water is just different fabric that has been fussy cut and put together like a crazy quilt patchwork. Take this into a fabric store and you will see some the bits and pieces that the artist put together.
We are artists - using fabric - to create something . So if you have the fabric, anything is possible.