#sbmnh

Grey Fox in progress for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This guy will be walking down some rocks, sniffling his way along. It’s such a privilege to do diorama work as you get to tell a complete story of an animal in it’s environment. Thats an experience viewers don’t even get in a zoo.

How to blow dry your Pelican for Taxidermy. FYI this Pelican is for a diorama at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Finally home after installing over 50 of our taxidermy pieces at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. What a week! It’s a rare gift to work in dioramas and I cannot wait to share the results with the public. You cannot imagine the the artistry and detail that goes into creating these ‘windows into nature’. Scientist, curators, exhibit staff, artists, fabricators, taxidermists and more — all working towards perfecting every tiny detail. I’ll post some amazing photos over the next couple days, but you should head to the museum if possible as June 1st. Or, follow @sbnature to see more!

Form for the Sea Lion going into the diorama at Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. My mentor, Tim Bovard of NHM LA, has been leading the charge on this piece as he’s done so many over the years for different museums. Pinnipeds are certainly unique mammals and their flippers can be a unique challenge, ha ha. I’m truly blessed to have a mentor to pass knowledge onto me and keep this art from dying. . . . #taxidermy #taxidermie #nhmla #timbovard #science #anatomy #sculpture #sealion #museums #sbmnh #diorama #allis #allismarkham #preytaxidermy

Double-Crested Cormorant. The eyeball is acrylic, but check out that dual-colored eyering! Of course this will all shrink up and discolor as it dries; I’ll end up rebuilding / painting it. I just wanted to show you the strange and magnificent details I get to see everyday. This bird is federally protected and part of the diorama work I’m doing at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. @sbnature .

My custom Island Fox taxidermy about to crunch down on a Manzanita berry. What an honor to work on this rare animal. These guys are highly protected petite foxes that live on the Channel islands off of California. This one was native to Catalina Island, my favorite camping spot. Island Foxes look similar to the Grey Fox, but approximately 15,000 years of separation have created a wholly unique species - comprised of 6 subspecies! Most noticeably, Island Foxes are smaller, have stouter legs and have fewer vertebrae in their tiny tails. This is all part of ‘insular dwarfism’ or also called ‘island miniaturism’. Basically, when animals are separated from their species on islands, they undergo adaptations to suit that environment. In this case, being small and stout was an evolutionary advantage.

Death mask of the Harbor Seal pup I’m working on for the diorama at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This was created by taking a mold of the face before skinning and then pouring plaster into that mold. This way, I have an exact copy of the animal’s face to use as reference or even to make a form from. Also, it’s downright adorable, yes? . . @sbnature #taxidermy #taxidermie #naturalhistory #museums #santabarbaranaturalhistorymuseum #sbmnh #deathmask #nature #allis #preytaxidermy #allismarkham

Working on this Harbor Seal pup for the restoration of the dioramas at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. This little guy died naturally shortly after birth. While I’m obviously very sad he didn’t make it to adulthood, I’m honored to taxidermy him for public education. Out of sight is out of mind; people have to see animals to care about their plight and the environment in which they live. So, while he may not have survived, he can represent his species to millions of kids who will grow up to be caretakers of this planet.