I was invited to show a piece and camp out in the Venice Binalle June 2nd, at the BYOB event in the internet pavilion….
I didn’t make it to that, but I was at the Yo Gabba art show in the backroom of Meltdown comics June 3rd!
It was AWESOME!!!!

everything is moving except for one of my eyes

The event was organized by Julia Vickerman, and it came together great for everyone. (Except maybe Julia, because some of us brought our pieces in really late.) But it all worked out and the walls were filled. She knows all kinds of people and so we had all kinds of pieces for the show, and an amazing crowd who packed in to see it all. What a party!

Great turnout for the event!

I put up my little paintings on a wall I shared with Colt Bowden‘s beautiful pieces. I used insect pins to hold them to the wall. It was really hard to get them in. Hope they hold!

Here is my arrangement

Here is how my pictures started: I was almost out of time so instead of driving around for canvases, I started with an old painting I found on the street recently.

Instead of going out for more spraypaint tips to spray paint, I used cel-vinal paint I had with brushes.
I started just on the single canvas, but it was confusing, so I soon cut it into pieces.

The smaller pieces really helped, they were not intimidating! Plus, the backgrounds were already done. I got through these pretty quickly, after a couple of days avoiding getting started.

I had enough I figured, but there were a few I couldn’t figure out how to finish. The night before the show, I went to paint with with Christian and Tyler Jacobs. I got through the unfinished paintings, and made a couple more as well. Unfortunately, the whole situation there went until 5:AM, but it was great.

I had to stop and nap on the way home. Got caught in some morning traffic. slept a few hours at home. Took Christians art to the show, hung mine and some others, drove home, slept another hour, cleaned up, and went to the party! So great, wish it could have lasted a couple more hours. Thanks to everyone for coming to the gallery, and the party on this page!

At the insect fair I bought some honey.
Really good honey, thats hard to get.
So I got a lot when I had the chance.
12+ pounds of it.
Turnes out to be hard to handle.

I tried to pour it into some smaller containers and the first drip was about 2 inches across.
It was hard to tame even with a funnel.

I also have a lot of mint, so tried to combine forces.
I picked as much as I could until it got ridiculous, and cleaned it all.
Put it in jars with the honey, (and one jar with everclear, for good mesure).
Hope I didn’t just ruin an bunch of good honey and mint!

Ross and Terri celebrate their 20th anniversary with a weekend long party jam.
Beautiful Oak woodlands provided by Dave.

FIFI FAMILY ORCHESTRA:

MIME CRIME:

SUKIA:

Some spray paintings for an informal Yo Gabba art show that we had at end of season 2.

Making them…

Paintings fully installed.

What will the next show bring?
We’ll see in a couple weeks!
Julia Vickerman organized an art show!

I was going to title this post “butterflies” but then I realized that some butterfly lovers would be sadly shocked to encounter all these beauties dried on pins in white boxes. When they are juicy and lilting through the forests its really much more exciting. But, we cant see that at home.

I purchased these specimens for my dad at the Bug Fair. He wanted an atlas moth and a birdwing butterfly, but it turns out that birdwings are pretty endangered and cost over $250. So I picked up the Atlas moth and a whole lot of other beautiful ones that were $5-$35.

When I was a child, my dad helped me build a killing jar for butterflies and other insects. Its a mayonaise jar with a cotton ball in it soaked in fingernail polish remover (acetone). You put the butterfly in there and it dies pretty much immediately, and it doesn’t get damaged. The alternative is pinching their thorax in just the right place, but thats a little tricky sometimes and leaves them dented.

I became very familiar with all kinds of insects through my observations with net and jar. Im very respectful of them now and try to help them out. I think the killing jar led me to help preserve many more than I caught. It worked for me. Maybe not for everyone but it worked for me.

I just recieved this new Loreo 3D Macro Lens in a Cap and it works great!
Well, pretty good, way better than not having it.
Its a soft plastic toy of a lens but it really works.
I grabbed a couple toys next to my desk and went into the garden to try it out.

The edge of Clover Forest

Mint Fly

Peaceable Kingdom

Suddenly struck by a childhood memory

Rose perch

In the forest

Later, in the forest

Still trying to lure the stray cast out with the laser pointer.
This one was really skittish for some reason.
I set up the camera and directed from second story window.
Didn’t have long before cat skidaddled.