Little Lion

Little Lion, 24"x24" oil on canvas

Happy Monday!  As promised, here is my latest sea creature, the lionfish.  As I've mentioned previously, Grand Cayman holds a special place in my heart.  There are a million reasons to love it, but for some reason it really feels like home.  In Cayman, like many other areas of the Caribbean, the lionfish has been introduced as a non-native species, and as a result, has been depleting natural fish populations as well as coral reefs due to its predatory tendencies. 

That said, Caymanian people are quite clever, and figured out that they are actually a very tasty fish, so spearfishing for lionfish has become a bit of a sport.  As a result of the influx of lionfish meat, many restaurants now have lionfish offerings on their menus.  I haven't tried it yet, but I'm really looking forward to it!

So here he is, this gorgeous striped fish with a bit of a checkered history, ha! I've seen one in person once, and I can say they really are majestic looking!  Hope you enjoy!