As part of my 100 Days of Coral Reefs project, I’ve started a new series of small, mixed media paintings featuring some of the ocean’s most eye-catching (and oddly charming) creatures: nudibranchs.
If you’re not familiar with them, nudibranchs are soft-bodied sea slugs found in oceans all over the world. They’re tiny, weird, and wonderful, like living jewels crawling across the seafloor. What drew me to them initially was their vibrant color and wildly diverse shapes. They’re fun (and relatively easy) to draw, and they always part curiosity in people who’ve never seen one before.
But beyond their looks, nudibranchs play an important role in coral reef ecosystems. some species feed on sponges, which helps keep sponge populations in check and allows corals more space to grow. Others eat hydroids, anemones, or even other nudibranchs, maintaining balance in the delicate reef food web. some even repurpose the stinging cells of their prey for their own defense, a little evolutionary genius in action.
To bring more attention to these underappreciated reef dwellers (and to support ocean conservation) I’m giving away my nudibranch paintings. Anyone who receives one will also get a gentle request: consider supporting ocean conservation in some way. That might mean donating to a marine nonprofit, choosing reef-safe sunscreen, reducing seafood consumption, or even just sharing information about coral reefs with others.
It’s a small gesture, but one rooted in the hope that art can inspire awareness, and awareness can lead to action.
If you’d like to receive one of these paintings-, or if you know someone who would, reach out! Let’s use these little sea slugs to spark a big change.