07.04.11 - Sea Squirts and Sponges
On 7 April 2011, Jersey Post will release their latest stamp issue entitled ‘Marine Life IX – Squirts and Sponges’. The stamps are presented as a set of six and are accompanied by a Souvenir Miniature Sheet.
As an island, Jersey is rich in marine treasures to discover and explore and previous issues in this series have included anemones, corals and seashells. Looking a little more closely, there still remains a wonderful world of squirts and sponges worthy of investigation by a sub-aqua audience and which are the focus of this colourful stamp issue.
Sea squirts derive their name from the habit of drawing in water and food through ‘siphons’ before squirting it out again, and sponges, also known as ‘Porifera’ meaning ‘pore-bearing’, draw the water in through a complex of pores and canals. Both species come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours affording the perfect opportunity for illustration.
Wildlife artist William Oliver was commissioned to paint this striking stamp issue and Jersey Post’s Philatelic Researcher, Mrs Melanie Gouzinis, was very pleased with the outcome of his work. “The stamps are a fantastic addition to the Marine Life series”, she explained. “Mr Oliver specialises in painting his subjects in their natural environment and once again has succeeded in producing authentic illustrations. When designing the Souvenir Miniature Sheet, the artist is tasked with painting a cohesive design encompassing three of the subjects depicted on the stamps and Mr Oliver has, on this occasion, included some other familiar creatures to bring his illustration to life!”