Dead Bugs

Many of my drawings and paintings include insects. I draw from dead insects or from photographs I’ve taken. Almost always these are dead bugs that I work from. I do not try to make them look alive. Nothing can quite achieve that former zest the insect had. But they are interesting to work with. Once I find a dead insect I am interested in drawing or painting, I work quickly to capture its essence. Some insects like bees dry and become dust very fast. I found putting them in small jelly jars with a tight lid helps to preserve them, for awhile, anyway. Dragon flies will dry up quickly, but there is a little longer amount of time to capture it before its segments separate and drop away from each other. Dragon fly wings do not seem to dry up for a very, very long time. But still, drawing these tiny creatures and paying attention to detail is a good discipline for the eye and the hand, but especially for the brain.