Color under the Puget Sound

Crimson anemone with a scaly crab hiding underneath, copyright Jan Kocian.
Yummy fuschia, turquoise and orange by Mother Nature.

I recently asked a friend of mine, a marine biologist who specializes in nudibranchs -- better known as sea slugs -- if he could send me some colorful critters to brighten this blog in the depths of winter.

He obliged with some beautiful photos taken by his friend Jan Kocian, a phenomenal underwater photographer (and artist) who lives on Whidbey Island.

So here they are for your enjoyment and inspiration. Please note that they are protected by copyright, so resist any urge to publish them elsewhere.



Sea pen and crab photo copyright Jan Kocian.



Anemone photo copyright Jan Kocian.

Feather duster worm, copyright Jan Kocian.

Incredibly, all of these creatures are found under the water right here in the Puget Sound. They are so exotic looking that I would've guessed they were from warm tropical waters far, far away.

Many thanks to Dave Behrens

(famed nudi expert)

and Jan Kocian.

 Dave played a big part in one of my first blog posts,

"Sea stars, barnacles, slugs, oh my!"

and you can find that by clicking here.

And to relate this to my quilts:

"Moonrise at Sunset" by Sherrie Spangler (copyright)

The quilt above was inspired one summer evening when when a full moon rose over the harbor while the sky was awash in a glowing orange sunset, tinged with lavender. Everything sparkled and glowed just before the sun went down.

"Beach Houses" by Sherrie Spangler (copyright)

Have a very colorful day!