Thursday, April 28, 2022

Taking Evasive Action: American Lappet Moth and Common Nighthawk.

The concept for this painting has been in my head for some time, and I finally started to work on it when my wife, Leah signed our family up for a booth of artwork at the joint meeting of the American Entomology Society, the Canadian Entomological Society and the B.C. Entomology Society that will take place in November 2022 in Vancouver, BC. The theme of the meeting is Entomology as Inspiration: Insects through art, science, and culture (https://entsoc.org/events/annual-meeting). Male Lappet Moths (Phyllodesma americana) are much better fliers than the heavy-bodied females and often fly great distances searching for a female, making them vulnerable to aerial predators such as Nighthawks. 12x16 acrylic painting. SOLD. 5x7 cards available

Thursday, April 21, 2022

"Early Evening, Alate Evening: Pacific Dampwood Termites".

 

12x16 acrylic painting.  SOLD

One of the hallmarks of the last weeks of August and the first weeks of September here on the south coast of BC is the evening flight of flying termites at dusk.  As a child, we called these "Oh no bugs" because their appearance on an August evening meant that there were only two weeks left of summer holidays and we would be soon going back to school.   The  mass eruption of these fatty, slow-flying insects just before dusk means a bonanza for insect-eating animals and it meant for great bird and bat watching opportunities.   The winged males and females, called alates emerge en masse to swamp the appetites of the numerous predators that come out to eat them.   My intent in this painting is to depict the jewel-like fluttering flight of the termites as they leave their colonies and head out to mate.