The Buzzard's Nest

Butterflies and moths.

Rare entomological collection of Doctor Kovach undertaken in 1905.

Encounter by Lily Seika Jones

Adamite

so these are all insects I caught and pinned as part of an Entomology class. the process of finding a particularly large or beautiful one was THRILLING, with the cleanly ordered and labelled box at the end being a satisfying climax, and now I can look at it on my wall every day and get happy all over again

and I’ve been thinking about how neat it would be to have a collection like this, but a little bit off. like the mutated insects of Chernobyl, catalogued and illustrated by Cornelia Hesse-Honegger

or the randomly occurring mutations you can find elsewhere, like bilateral gyandromoprhs

or colour morphs

or the rogue taxidermy people compile out of insect parts and bone

or from different insects taken apart and reconstructed

there  seems to be so much potential! 

I love the idea of making semi-natural enamel insects from different themes, in varying sizes and complexities, with multiple colour morphs per design, so that you can pick from what appeals to you month by month and over time assemble a collection that can be hung and displayed like a natural science curio box

though they could alternately be framed individually, particularly if the design is a large and complex one

and all these ‘unreal’ insect species together would be a like one of those artist-made bestiaries full of imagined creatures

I’m actually thinking of doing this as a kickstarter, so leaving the store to guest artists in October, and launching this with a batch of enamel insects + stretch goals in November. could also do things like include a step-by-step on how to build your own display box! 

but first I need to test the water - how do we feel about this idea?

October was Black Witch Moths (Ascalapha odorata)

and November is a Cicada (Tanna japonensis)

Boar skull, nuff said.