Pyrops candelaria: Clara

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts."

Pyrops candelaria: Clara
$425
Assemblage

Materials: antique oil cans, cheese grater, farm tool, vintage recycled jewelry and buttons, antique eyeglass temples, wire, fasteners, wool.

Dimensions: 14” x 8” x 15”

Clara represents a species of plant hopper that lives in southeast Asia. They sometimes called lantern flies, although they don’t emit light. They feed on plant sap, using their long, slender proboscis to pierce tree bark. Collectors love this insect, due to its beautiful coloration.

Syntomeida epilais: Macula

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts."

Syntomeida epilais: Macula
$425
Assemblage

Materials: antique cans, wood potato masher, brass drawer pulls, spatulas, fabric, recycled jewelry, machine parts, peacock feathers, paint.

Dimensions: 15”x10”x15”

Macula (Latin for “Spot”) is a Polka Dot Wasp Moth, a species native to the Caribbean. The tip of the moth's abdomen is bright red, and looks like a dangerous wasp, but in fact is harmless. The caterpillars are orange with long black hairs and also look dangerous, but do not inflict any harm.

The real one; almost as spectacular as the assemblage!

Diopsoidea Diopsidae: Skelly

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts."

Diopsoidea Diopsidae: Skelly
$165
Assemblage

Materials: antique sock darner, machine parts, recycled jewelry, clay, paint, fasteners.

Dimensions: 5” x 6” x 8”

Stalk-eyed flies are a family of insects distinguished from most other flies by the possession of elongated eyestalks--projections from the sides of the head with the eyes at the end. These flies can see a region of space extending over more than a hemisphere (>180 degrees) in all directions.

Eupatorus gracilicornis: Wilburn

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts."

Eupatorus gracilicornis: Wilburn
$425
Assemblage

Materials: vintage sock darner, antique vase, oil can, drawer pulls, eyeglass temples, feathers, brass, vintage buttons, clay, paint, wrought iron, vintage jello mold.

Dimensions: 13” x 6” x 18”

The Five-horned Beetle is one of the most elegant of rhinoceros beetles. They are also known as Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles, or horn beetles. There are over 300 described species of these beetles, best known for their bizarre shapes and large size.

Musca domestica: Francisco

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." This one is a common housefly.

Musca domestica: Francisco
$225
Assemblage

Materials: Antique wood spindle, antique buttons, recycled jewelry, wire mesh, fasteners, wire, paint.

Dimensions: 7” x 17” x 12”

To offer a respectful nod to the benefits of flies, we are reminded through this work that insects--including Musca Domestica, the lowly house fly--are worthy of our utmost and deepest appreciation. As it turns out, the use of pesticides designed to kill Musca Domestica (and other insects) is actually causing more damage to the ecosystem than the flies themselves. Without them, we'd be instantly neck-deep in piles of detritus and dead matter. Francisco is elaborately adorned so as to distract the common swatter.

Cocytius antaeus: Praesidio

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." This one is a beneficial moth.

Cocytius antaeus: Praesidio
$425
Assemblage

Materials:

Dimensions: 15” x 11” x 15”

Praesidio references the Giant Sphinx Moth, whose wing span can reach five to seven inches. Its adult food is primarily flower nectar, and its range includes as far north as Chicago, south to Brazil and Peru. Although the Giant Sphinx is very rare in North America, it is the only insect on the continent with a long enough proboscis to pollinate the similarly rare Ghost Orchid.

Bombylius major: Celero

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts  July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." This one is a beneficial fly.

Bombylius major: Celero
$395
Assemblage

Materials: vintage oil cans, kitchen tools, antique buttons, wood, machine parts, recycled jewelry, fasteners, wire, wool, acetate, paint.

Dimensions: 13" x 9" x 14"

Celero, a bee fly, might be mistaken for a large, fuzzy mosquito because of the long proboscis, but it is for sipping nectar, not blood. These flies are very good at hovering, which reinforces their resemblance to bees. They forage on spring flowers, such as lilac and plum blossoms, and help control wasp and solitary bee populations by laying their eggs at the entrance of underground nests. After hatching, the larvae find their way into the nests to feed on the wasp larvae.

Archimantis latistyla: Brunneis

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." This is my version of an Australian species of praying mantids.

Archimantis latistyla: Brunneis
$425
Assemblage

Materials: antique shoe form, kitchen tools, vintage jewelry and buttons, copper wire, flatware, fasteners, wire, paint.

Dimensions: 14" x 8" x 15"

Brunneis is based on the large brown mantis, a species native to Australia. They are beneficial garden insects who prey on pests. Adults can jump about a meter and attack large prey, such as small birds, frogs, and lizards. While a praying mantis will bite if provoked, the bite is not venomous.

Anisoptera L. libellulidae: Rufus

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." This one is another dragonfly.

Anisoptera L. libellulidae: Rufus
$225
Assemblage

Materials: antique wooden spindle, vintage beads and buttons, wire, wool, acetate.

Dimensions: 7" x 14" x 12"

Rufus represents >1000 species with nearly worldwide distribution. Because of their coloration and behavior, they are one of the most easily identifiable of dragonflies. They perch often on shrubs, or flowers, especially near lakes or ponds, and habitually return to the same perch.

Anisoptera A. aeshnidae: Parva Draco

Eighteen of my latest assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's a dragonfly.

Anisoptera A. aeshnidae: Parva Draco
$425
Assemblage

Materials: antique wooden spindle, vintage brass oil lamp mechanism, beads and buttons, feathers, wire, acetate.

Dimensions: 18" x 18" x 18"

Parva represents the family of darners, among the largest dragonflies on Earth. With their four large and powerful wings, they can fly forward or backward or hover like a helicopter. Their large, hemispherical compound eyes promote excellent vision, and they are voracious insect predators with sharp, biting mouthparts.

Missulena occatoria: Rubrum

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's one of the many spiders.

Missulena occatoria: Rubrum
$95
Assemblage

Rubrum references a male Red-headed Mouse Spider. They and their female counterparts can be found in semi-arid habitats in mainland Australia. Males are about half the size of females, which can grow to a little over an inch. They mainly prey on insects and other spiders, but also occasionally on small vertebrates such as frogs and lizards. During mating season, males wander around during the day in search of a willing female. On finding a female’s burrow, the male taps the ground and silk around her door, hoping for a warm reception…rather like a proper gentleman calling on a lady.

Araneus Saevus: Bennington

Eighteen of my latest found object assemblages will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's one of the many spiders.

Araneus Saevus: Bennington
$175
Assemblage

Bennington is made from a Rockingham style ceramic doorknob, possibly from Bennington, VT, which was produced sometime in the mid-19th century. She has faux fur hair and features vintage leather button eyes and legs fashioned from wire and vintage jewelry bits.

This tiny, eight-legged engineer builds spiral, wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields and forests. ("Orb" originally meant "circular", and the name stuck.) Some orb weavers are semi-social and live in communal webs. In 2009, workers at a Baltimore wastewater treatment plant discovered over 100 million orb weaver spiders, living in a community that managed to spin a phenomenal web that covered some four acres of a building with spider densities in some areas reaching 35,176 spiders per cubic meter. 

Feeling a little arachnophobic? No worries—the orb spider bite is low risk (not toxic) to humans. They are a non-aggressive group of spiders, and seldom bite.

Dimensions: 4”x8”x8”

The real thing.

Lycosoidea Lycosidae: Lulu

I'll be posting my latest assemblages here over the next few days. There are 18, all of which will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's one of my spiders.

Lycosoidea Lycosidae: Lulu
$175
Assemblage

Lulu is a female wolf spider who is carrying her young. Immediately after her spiderlings emerge from their egg sac, they clamber up their mother's legs and crowd onto her abdomen, giving her body an unusual, knobby appearance. These lonely hunters can live more than a decade.

Materials: antique wood and brass doorknob, antique brass nails, recycled jewelry, faux fur, machine parts, vintage drawer pull, wire, fasteners.

Dimensions: 5” x 8” x 8”

The real one. Check out those babies.

Araneus quadratus: DeeDee

I'll be posting my latest assemblages here over the next few days. There are 18, all of which will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's one of the many spiders.

Araneus quadratus: DeeDee
$95
Assemblage
Adult orb weaver females like DeeDee can reach over a half inch in length. This spider lives in gardens, wooded areas, or wherever there is enough vegetation to support an orb web. Adult females can actively change their color. (DeeDee’s glass knob references her ability to match her resting space.)

Materials: Found objects, recycled jewelry, wire, fasteners.

Dimensions: 5” x 8” x 8”

The real thing. 

Swarm III: Closing in

I'll be posting my latest assemblages here over the next few days. There are 18, all of which will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's one of the larger assemblages.

Here's the third and smallest of the “Swarm” assemblages.

Swarm III: Closing in
$400

Ten tiny spiders, beetles and other insects of indeterminant origin hang out together.

Materials: Antique cast iron lamp shade, chandelier crystals, recycled jewelry, antique buttons, wire, fasteners.

Dimensions: 30” x 8” x 8”

Panchlora nivea: Virgil

I'll be posting my latest assemblages here over the next few days. There are 18, all of which will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." Here's one of the larger assemblages.

Panchlora nivea: Virgil

Assemblage

$950

Cuban cockroaches are found in the Caribbean and southern U.S. It lives outdoors, so is not considered a pest. In fact it is a popular pet roach due to its relatively pleasant green color, and because it is not an invasive indoor species. It is also used as food for other pets.

Virgil is handsome and brave and could stand guard at your front door. No self-respecting Periplaneta americana (American cockroach) would have the nerve to cross his path.

Materials: Found blue spruce hand-carved vase, antique table leg, motorcycle windshield wipers, kitchen utensils, antique buttons, lamp base, springs, wire, fasteners, eyeglass temples, electrical parts, clay, paint.

Dimensions: 50" x 15" x 20"

Swarm II: Waiting

I'll be posting my latest assemblages here over the next few days. There are 18, all of which will be on display and (most) for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." 

Here's the second of the “Swarm” assemblages.

Swarm II: Waiting

$800


Diaea dorsata “Floreo” is a Green Crab Spider. She patiently waits as 11 insects buzz around below her lair. One of them will be dinner tonight.

This spider can change its color to fit its surroundings. The males have an extended, non-damaging combat ritual: They stand opposed, stretch their front legs and dance around each other. This can go on for hours. 

Materials: Wire bird cage (modified), brass doorknob, wire, recycled jewelry, vintage chandelier crystals, Cotswold sheep wool, antique buttons, machine parts, paint.




Assemblage Dimensions: 32” x 16” x 16”

Floreo's dimensions: 4”x11”x8”

Swarm I: Entomology 101

On display and for sale at the Oliver Center for the Arts July 28 - September 8, 2017 as part of an exhibition, "Bugs, Birds and Beasts." 


Swarm I: Entomology 101
$1600
An eclectic mix of insects and arachnids, all between 4" - 12" long: five spiders, seven mosquitoes, a lady beetle, a fruit fly, a robber fly and a six spotted green tiger beetle. Each insect in this swarm has its own name and story (see below).


Materials: Wire chandelier, found objects, wire, recycled jewelry, vintage chandelier crystals, vintage cabinet knobs, Cotswold sheep wool, antique buttons, machine parts, paint.


Dimensions: 40" x 30" x 30"