When it's time for seahorses to mate, the male unfurls his tail to expose a pouch and the female will deposit as many as 1,500 eggs.  The male then carries the eggs up to 45 days. While the male is carrying the eggs, the female will check on him, daily.  The eggs are released when they're ready to hatch.  The young seahorses are then left to care for themselves. Less than 1% of them live long enough to mate. Interestingly, the male seahorse produces a hormone called Prolactin – the same hormone that produces breast milk in women.

Octopus are highly intelligent. Experiments have shown evidence of both short and long term memory. Fisherman tell of these creatures boarding their boats and opening the holds to eat the bait inside.

Ambush is the hunting technique of the Moray Eel. They blend in very well to their surroundings and spring on their prey, when the time is right.  When they attack, they spin their prey to disorientate them. Moray Eels have two sets of jaws:  One set to capture prey and another set that serves as the first step in digestion.

They travel in groups of 1,000 or more and use their venom-filled tentacles to paralyze and kill fish & small prey. Their long, thin tentacles can extend up to 165 feet. Muscles in the tentacles draw the prey up to polyps that contain digestive organisms.

Seahorses

acrylic on canvas

Octopus

acrylic on canvas

Moray Eels

acrylic on canvas

Portuguese Man O' War

acrylic on canvas

These creations are narrative abstracts. Using white to tell a story and a rich hue to express emotion, each sea creature is unique.

These are large scale and gallery wrapped. By commission only. Size is customizable.