Random Sundays....
Every Sunday a bit of randomness
60's Twist and Turn Barbie...
who wants a normal Barbie now?
Saturday, 17 August 2013
Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Say Good Afternoon to Kelly McCallum
I give you a fox with a mustache, two hedgehogs embroidering a doyley, A flamingo with a diamond encrusted leg...and so on. Excited?
McCallum is a London based Canadian artist who was born 1979, She specialises in taxidermy, metal smith and jewellery making. Her inquisitive eye for the weird and wonderful started at a young age when on school trips she would go to Norman Elder's house and view his eclectic collection.
Norman Sam Elder (1939-2003) was one of Toronto's eccentrics, as an explorer, exotic animal owner, writer and artist. Elder, was the owner of the Norman Elder Museum at 140 Bedford road in the Annex, an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Beginning her art studies with Bachelor of Fine Arts at Rhode Island School Of Design she moved on to study animal science, Pre veterinarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for one year. Immediately after, Kelly went back to Rhode Island for additional practice in Metal smith. From 2004-2006 Kelly studied at the Royal Collage Of Art in London and earned herself a master of arts degree.
 | ||
| Pink Flamingo 2011 |
 | |
| Winter Coat 2011 |
 |
| Till Death Do Us Part |
 |
| Hog |
An interest in scale and attention to detail is apparent in
both her wearable objects and her sculptural pieces. Her work is
influenced by both story-telling and natural history, employing
Victorian taxidermy as well as insects, precious metals and other
treasures from her personal collection of curiosities.
http://www.kellymccallum.com/bio/
On going Projects...
http://www.kellymccallum.com/bio/
On going Projects...
Perfect title I would say for such mesmerising work. McCallum and Marta Mattsson
'Sometimes I see beauty in things
that other people find strange or are even repulsed by. I become
fascinated when there is something you do not want to see and the
feeling you get when you do not want to look at something, yet you still
do.'
 |
| Beetle juice’ Brooches |
 |
 |
McCallum and Mattsson have a constant evolving project, where anything goes. They both had this wonderfully charming idea to each pick a piece of taxidermy for each other, not knowing what they have bought each other before the unveiling they would then make it their own by incorporating any materials they wish just as long as the original piece of taxidermy is all or partly being used. Over 8 weeks they would create their master pieces...
 |
| Kelly's fox she gave to Marta |
 | ||
| Marta's fox she gave to Kelly |
And their creations...
 |
| Kelly's fox |
 |
| Marta's fox |
You can see all Kelly's and Marta's work here...
Monday, 12 August 2013
Introducing Today's Talented Taxidermists...
First up Polly Morgan
First up Polly Morgan
Bad Breath 2011
Polly was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire 1980. In 1998 she moved to East London to read English literature at The London University. Inspired by the prominent artists around her she decided to take up her true passion taxidermy and began making her first sculptural work in 2004.
There is something wonderfully strange about Morgan's work. The bell jars create a feeling of entrapment. They create such an atmosphere that you get lost within the piece, like you are apart of that animals life and you almost feel sorry for its loss of life. Morgans work portrays a mysterious and almost Gothic feeling and lets you connect to each animal in a different way.
 |
| One of my favourites... Love Bird 2005 |
 |
| Still Born Life 2010 |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Morning 2007 |
 |
| To every seed his own body 2006 |
 |
| Dead Ringer 2009 |
Morgan's first four pieces caught the attention of Banksy:
A lovebird looking in a mirror; a squirrel holding a bell jar with a
little fly perched inside on top of a sugar cube; a magpie with a jewel
in its beak; and a couple of chicks standing on a miniature coffin'.[2][3] In 2005, he commissioned her to produce work for Santa’s Ghetto.
Morgan is a member of the UK Guild of Taxidermists.[5]
The animals used in her taxidermy are contributed by vets or pet
owners; the animals have died naturally or accidentally, for example
they may have been roadkill.
Her most recent exhibition is now on:
Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland, 2013 at
Beasts of England, Beasts of Ireland, 2013 at
You can also take a piece of Morgans work home with you at her wonderful shop:
Sunday, 11 August 2013
Random Sundays....
Every Sunday a bit of randomness
Every Sunday a bit of randomness
1935 British newsreel. Ten stone baby (Teased with a chocolate bar)
Ladies & gentlemen meet Leslie Bowles, He likes chocolate but not doctors...
Taken from the British Pathe newsreel archive: http://www.britishpathe.com
Saturday, 10 August 2013
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be an Entomologist!
One of the most wonderful and mesmerising subjects to look and study for hours. This example was taken from The Melbourne Museum who have an enormous array of entomology collections.
 |
| Entrapped Butterfly Collection |
Entomology is the analysis of insect life which can help to establish the time of death of an individual.
Of course I can not speak of such thing without the introduction of one of the most respected naturalists known to man...
Charles Robert Darwin.
'His primary area of expertise is
the development of species over time'.
Starting from top left- Dave, Paul, Steve, Mark...
The word insect dates back to 1600, from the Latin word insectum, meaning "with a notched or divided body", or literally "cut into"
I went in search of the strange and the extraordinary and found a quaint little shop tucked away called Wunderkammer, a cabinet of curiosities.
Translated from German meaning 'Wonder-Room' this shop has everything from minerals & fossils, medical & surgical instruments to entomology presentations through to Victorian taxidermy.
Friday, 9 August 2013
Taxidermy... One of the many wonderful things
The word taxidermy is of Greek origin “taxi” and “derma”, which means
arrangement of skin. Taxidermy is a common term that describes the
techniques and methods to reproduce or mount three dimensional
representations of dead animals for exhibition or for study purpose.
Martha Ann Maxwell (1831-1881)
This wonderful lady was a talented hunter who devised modern procedures to skin and mount the remains of animals. It was her work that initiated the basis of modern taxidermy.
This wonderful lady was a talented hunter who devised modern procedures to skin and mount the remains of animals. It was her work that initiated the basis of modern taxidermy.
The strange and wonderful tales of Victorian Taxidermy
Prior to the 20th century, most “taxidermists” would really have been
upholsterers, who treated the tanned animal hide like a chair cushion.
Victorian Taxidermy is by far the most whimsical, of its time.
Walter Potter was an English taxidermist noted for his
anthropomorphic dioramas featuring mounted animals mimicking human life,
which he displayed at his museum in Bramber, Sussex, England.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)