Friday, March 05, 2010

When sea lions make art

Most animal art – as anyone who has followed this blog will know – is done by land-based mammals. Fish, who you might think would be great at watercolours, don’t really make at art all and it’s the same with the mollusc, octopus and jellyfish. Seal lions, on the other hand, expand the mammal rule and have a rich art culture. Put a sea lion together with a paint brush and the chances are very good that the result will be serious sea lion art. In aquarium retail outlets all over the world talented sea lions are selling their work and helping to create a steady income stream for their institutions. Artists like Jonao in Japan and the Americans Milo, Huck and Lea would be household names if households were up to speed on recent advances in sea lion art. Here then pictures of six pinnipeds that have stepped up (in so far as sea lions can step) and made art their vocation.
Images: clockwise from top left, artists Jonao, Magie, Morgan, Zuma, Milo and Huck