The Pomlog

Insect Art by Christopher Marley

2012-05-15T09:21:00.000+01:00

Friday, May 4, 2012

Insect Art by Christopher Marley

Incredible artwork comes from a multitude of inspirational sources. In this case, the inspiration has legs!

Christopher Marley, one of the most distinctive artists Pomegranate publishes, has traveled all across the globe collecting thousands of interesting, colorful, and bizarrely shaped specimens to create his signature mosaic art. These mosaics might include plants, crystal formations, fossils, uncut gemstones, or seashells, but if you ask me, Chris’s most exotic arrangements come from his collection of insects—or should I say BUGS–you know, the creepy crawly kind that make most of us squirm a little or even jump!

I have to admit, I’m the jumpy type. If I’m sitting at my desk at work and someone mentions a spider in the room, my feet instantly come off the floor.

"Little Miss Muffet" illustration
by Wallace Denslow

I can imagine why Miss Muffet was frightened away, especially if the great spider who sat down beside her looked anything like the one Chris has in his collection below! And you can see, it would most definitely make just about anyone JUMP—probably right on TOP of their desk.

Cave spider (Amblypygi, Tailless
whip scorpion, from Latin America)

These amazing insects have long scientific names that I can’t pronounce, but, of course, Chris can say them easily without hesitation. The names are usually made up of two Latin words: the first word is always capitalized; it’s the genus name, which somewhat describes the insect—either its taxonomic classification, who discovered it, or what creepy thing it can do. The second word, which starts with a lowercase letter, is its species name. For example, the Latin name for the household cat is “Felis catus.”

I’ve read a little about Chris Marley’s childhood, including his reaction to insects when he was young—which apparently was very similar to my own—and his early career choices. Born in Southern California, Chris spent most of his teenage years in Oregon and then pursued a modeling career; photos of Chris wearing clothes by renowned designers were featured in many well-known fashion magazines for more than a decade. So I’ve been wondering: Where did his fascination with insects come from? And how did he amass such a collection of these creepy, crawling critters?

I was grateful for the opportunity to ask Chris a few questions about himself and about his passion for collecting insects. Anyone who is lucky enough to view his artwork up close can see that it is perfectly designed and cleverly arranged into colorful mandalas, spectacular mosaics, or kaleidoscopes—all made of BUGS. Some of which are absolutely amazing and beautiful, and others, well, kind of scary-looking. The surreal beauty and true vibrant colors of Chris’s art are likely to make anyone share in my curiosity and attraction—

Beetle Prism

Christopher, when did your fascination with bugs begin?
My fascination with insects began at an early age, though it was chiefly a fascination with how to avoid them. Though enthralled by the world of fantasy and the freakish—as a young and not so young artist, my subject matter of choice was consistently the fantastical and macabre—I did not make the connection between things I legitimately feared and the creatures I dreamed up until much later in my life. Insects were one of only three fears I prided myself on.

Did the concept to create art pieces using a variety of different species come soon after?It was a bit of a process over a few years of going from phobia of insects to collector of insects to student of all things entomological. From there, going full circle and bringing insects into my repertoire as a design medium was almost inevitable.

The iridescent eye-catching colors (like these Jewel beetles above) are very vibrant; it’s hard to believe they are truly real. Do you alter your specimens in any way?

Leaf-mimic mantis

Nope. The only exception is the one that people would suspect the least. The Leaf mimics fade notoriously quickly, so we do dye those back to their original color to minimize fading, but that is the extent of my color manipulation.

Can you briefly tell me the important steps in designing each composition?
First, the species must be located and a supply of them obtained. Believe it or not, I am only now beginning to discipline myself to only design with specimens I actually have. My imagination has often outstripped my reality in the past. I then work on preparing the insects in a variety of ways until I settle on one that I feel maximizes the aesthetic strengths of the particular species while rendering it most usable for larger composition. Compositions for me can be organic and instinctual or laborious and painstaking—I'm never really sure which path a particular composition will take until it is completed. Hands-on is always best, however. I don't have much luck with computer mockups. Lastly, the piece must be fumigated and hermetically sealed to last a lifetime.

Urchin Spheres

You must have traveled to some very exotic places to find these distinctive objects. Where has your passion taken you?
I've spent years in several countries in Latin America—chiefly Chile, Peru, and Costa Rica—but many of the neighboring countries as well. I've also spent years in Southeast Asia—mainly western Malaysia and Borneo, Indonesia, Thailand, China, and Taiwan—again with periodic visits to most nearby countries. Africa is a distant third continent, with work in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as South Africa. Many people are surprised to learn that we get a good number of species from southern Europe, so I've spent some time in France, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and about one-half year in Greece. I've never been to Australia.

Amazon River Rainforest in Peru

Wow! Being a mother of three boys, I have heard stories about ferocious animals—the longest snake, the largest alligator, or the MOST gruesome-looking creature they have ever seen—of course, mostly on television. Well, I’d like to tell them which one is the largest and most dangerous insect in the world? Can you help me answer that question?
Unfortunately, it is not a question without controversy. The most dangerous insects in the world are the disease vectors, but as that is not very sexy (and I'm sure not what you are after), I would have to say that as far as physical prowess and imposing size, it is tough to beat some of the largest longhorn beetles like Macrodontia cervicornis, which reach sizes in excess of 17 cm, and Titanus giganteus, which is reportedly capable of removing a finger if you are unlucky enough to let it get its mandibles around one. Some of the giant tarantula hawks (Pepsis wasps) have terribly painful bites and stings, as do the giant bullet ants of the Amazon, which can be over an inch long. Personally, though not an insect, some of the centipedes are most frightening to me; one species reaches over a foot in length and hunts snakes, birds, lizards, frogs, etc.—very poisonous. Of course, in sheer length, nothing comes close to the Pharnacia walking sticks, which can reach nearly 2 feet. [Eeek!]

Macrodontia cervicorni

Titanus giganteus

Here’s a question you probably get quite often: How do you feel about taking insects out of their environment? Are there any adverse effects to the species population and habitat?
The only way to deplete an insect population is to reduce or eliminate the species’ ability to breed. Insects are [at] the bottom of the food chain and depend on their ability to reproduce themselves prolifically to ensure the maintenance of their populations. Inasmuch as we can give local [people] living in the areas of threatened ecosystems an alternative to developing the land for ranching, agriculture, or logging, we [can] help to reverse the economic pressure to develop the land, which does destroy the insects’ ability to reproduce. By creating a worldwide network of insect collectors, the habitat of those insects becomes valuable in it's original pristine state, helping to ensure that the insect populations—of which we take a minute fraction of a percentage—are able to remain intact.

One last question I have to ask: What thoughts do you want people to walk away with after viewing your form of art?
An awe of the natural world and an increased appreciation for the artistry of its design.

Well there you have it.

Chris, I’m thankful for your informative answers to my questions. I hope our readers will understand how talented you really are. I’m grateful that you have shared the unknown with all of us through your artwork. The next time I see something crawling underfoot, maybe I’ll stop and stare a little while longer and admire the beauty that most of us fail to see–of course, right after I jump up on the nearest chair or desk!

Ha ha, I’ll leave you all with this cute little Weevil image and an awesome video interview with Chris that was featured on Seattle's King 5 Evening Magazine!

Monica Becker

Originally posted on Pomegranate’s US blog
http://pomegranatecom.blogspot.com/

We're Back!

2012-04-26T10:16:00.001+01:00

Phew, where have we been - well, busy that's where we have been and we are sorry we have not been blogging but We're Back! We return with a cracking post from our US office.....

Meet artist Molly Hashimoto

Interview by Sam G., editor at Pomegranate

Vine Maple, Diablo Lake, North Cascades
from Nature's Peace 2013 wall calendar
© Molly Hashimoto

Molly Hashimoto creates works of understated beauty, responding to her ventures into nature with paintings and prints that convey those moments when a mountain, a stream, a fawn speak to us. In addition to her own work, published in a calendar and notecards by Pomegranate, Hashimoto teaches art classes at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, the Yellowstone Association Institute, and the North Cascades Institute. We recently asked this thoughtful artist a few questions about her methods and inspiration.

What was your artistic training? How did it connect to your childhood and your education?
I loved playing outdoors when I was a child—it was always hard to be inside, but when the weather prevented me from going out, I liked to read and draw and write. It was hard to decide what field to pursue when I went to college, but I was able to study art and literature. When I was studying literature at the University of Chicago, I used to take the train to the Art Institute of Chicago on Saturdays—I always thought it was like spending a day in the country. Nowadays, I think my favorite things to do to get inspired to make art are to go to wild places outdoors, or visit art museums—maybe that sounds like a bit of a stretch, but to me they are very similar experiences.  

How do you translate what you see into a work of art? Do you use any visualization tools, such as binoculars, a sketchbook, a camera?
I use my sketchbook and my camera all the time. If I like a place well enough to sketch it, I often want to do more work and will try a studio painting also once I'm back at home. Even though I'm not a professional photographer, once in a while I take a great photo, with good composition and color—those often translate into good paintings.

Left to right: First light; Raccoon; Bandelier Cliffs. From Nature's Peace 2013 wall calendar. © Molly Hashimoto

Have you been tempted to follow David Hockney's example and paint on the iPad?
I don't have an iPad, but I do sometimes use my pc, my digital photos, and Photoshop to find interesting vignettes and details from larger photos to paint. I love having my bird photos to work from, as it’s really difficult to sketch moving birds!!

What other forms of culture connect most closely to your experience as an artist? For example, do you get ideas for paintings and prints from poetry, dance, music, movies, conversations with loved ones?
I love music, movies and literature, poetry and novels, nonfiction. I'm always getting ideas through my reading. Movies are a feast for the eye—I just saw Hugo and loved it! Music is a great way to get into the art zone, I think! I love Bach and Beethoven. Conversations with my family are essential for me—they help me critique my own work—I depend upon their opinions for almost everything I paint.  

Molly Hashimoto at Cascade Pass

Is there a place or a species you’ve never seen but would love to paint?
I hope to visit all the national parks in the west—there are many I haven’t been to yet. I also dream of seeing the wildlife in Africa someday.  

Do your dreams play a role in your paintings?
Sometimes I am so taken with a place I have been to that I dream about it—when that happens I feel compelled to try to paint it—often many different times and many different ways.

To learn more about Molly and her artwork, visit her blog, Molly Hashimoto Artist's Journal.

Originally posted on Pomegranate’s US blog
http://pomegranatecom.blogspot.com/

The Art of Cape Dorset - Polar Publishing

2012-02-14T15:48:00.000+00:00

Our friends over at Polar Publishing recently asked for a review copy of our lovely book "Cape Dorset Prints"

As it turns out a simple review wasn't enough! So they did a fantastic full feature on the book and our other Inuit art products.

The full feature can be read here: The Inuit Art of Cape Dorset.

The book is available from us or one of our many fabulous retailers!

Spring fair 2012...

2012-02-08T12:40:00.000+00:00

...is a busy one!

We've got our new and improved stand looking fab and we love how you guys are loving our products!

There's still a little time left to come see us - just in case you can't make it, here are some pictures.

Hall 4 - Stand F67

And The Winner Is....

2012-01-18T11:23:00.000+00:00

It's gong time. That time of year when the movie world salutes it's glittering stars! Get in the act with our Movie Knowledge Card Decks and test your mates!

These are just 2 of our large range of Knowledge Cards ranging from literary, politics, history and music. With 48 fact-filled cards per package, Knowledge Cards are a great source of condensed information—all in a deck the size of a pack of playing cards.

Contact us for a catalogue on t: 01926 430111 or sales@pomeurope.co.uk

Part 2 of our 'glorious britain' product range

2012-01-12T17:09:00.000+00:00

Here's the 2nd part of our 'glorious britain' product range, a must in this year of Jubilee and Olympic magic! Check out the fabulously nostalgic cover of our England By Rail 2013 wall calendar...

For more information and prices please contact: tel: 01926 430111 or sales@pomeurope.co.uk

Welcome to Pomegranate 2012

2012-01-11T14:15:00.000+00:00

Happy New Year!

And what a year it is. A Jubilee and the Olympics.. and to get it all started how about dressing your special Rule Brittania window display later in the year with some truly fabulous NEW product from Pomegranate. Take a look at this:-

For more information contact us at tel: 01926 430111 or sales@pomeurope.co.uk

And we'll be introducing even more 'British' product tomorrow.

Monday, Monday...la la

2011-11-14T08:47:00.000+00:00

Everyone needs a bit of fun on a Monday morning, here's yours:-

www.pomegranate.com/edgorgal.html

Happy Products available from sales@pomeurope.co.uk

t: +44 1 926 430111

....insert a large chuckle here.....

ATTENTION ALL BOOK LOVERS

2011-10-17T11:05:00.000+01:00

You love books and there are some you will read again and again - they are the keepers and you may just decide to share certain books with those you trust. So why not keep your collection personal and grace them with a book plate?

We have a beautiful range of plates with 24 in a pack.

Available from: sales@pomeurope.co.uk
t: +44 [0] 1926 430111

localbookshops.co.uk

2011-10-12T10:43:00.000+01:00

Pomegranate are pleased to announce that we are working with www.localbookshops.co.uk
supporting Independant Bookshops in the UK.

Here's our introduction in their latest Newsletter:-

Pomegranate Jigsaw Puzzles

Calling all bookshops looking for extra sales this Christmas, Pomegranate has a stunning range of Jigsaw Puzzles with titles to suit all interests. Don't underestimate the power of puzzlers, once they know you sell jigsaws they'll be back for more - honest!

Pomegranate is a leading publisher of art, be it in the form of stationery, books, calendars or gift products, we publish to museum standards and have been doing so for over 40 years. In 2010 we won the Best Retail, Best Fine Art and Best Animal Calendars at the National Calendar Awards. We have a number of fully illustrated catalogues which you can request direct from us at sales@pomeurope.co.uk or download from our extensive website at www.pomegranate.com We hope you find our site entertaining and illuminating, and that you experience discovery, delight, and surprise. Suggested starting points for exploration are the subject categories, available on the left side of all our web pages, or the artist galleries.

The full range of Pomegranate Jigsaws may now be accessed via the 'search' facility on your Admin site

'A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art'- Paul Cezanne

Dulwich Picture Gallery

2011-10-11T16:43:00.000+01:00

This exhibition will be fantastic, take it from us.

For more info: www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

Pomegranate Recommends....

2011-08-22T08:56:00.000+01:00

Pomegranate Recommends this beautiful, astonishing and award winning movie:

Based on the true story of the life and art of a simple maid discovered by a German art critic in the French town of Senlis on the eve of the First World War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Séraphine_Louis

How's your Memory?

2011-08-04T12:32:00.000+01:00

Here at Pomegranate we are pleased to announce a set of great new titles to our Memory Games range.

Below you'll find the 4 new titles, along with a brief description of how the games work...

Lucian Freud

2011-07-22T11:00:00.000+01:00


Realist painter Lucian Freud, one of Britain's most distinguished and highly regarded artists, has died aged 88.

10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT HIS PAINTINGS

By Florence Waters

The Telegraph

22nd July 2011

Almost all of us carry an image of a ‘Freud’ around in our minds – a gracelessly posed, grossly sagging woman, perhaps, or a face sculpted in paint that appears to fold and puff like a cauliflower ear. We all think we know his painting but, beneath the thick lashings of paint, there are a great many things to be discovered:

1. Freud’s paintings are autobiographical. Almost all the people he chooses to paint tell a story about himself and his values (he rarely worked on commission).

2. Freud has only once ever, he recalled, completed a portrait of a person he did not like, a book dealer called Bernard Breslauer. He so disliked the model that he was deliberately unkind and over-egged the pudding of a man in front of him, making him “even more repulsive than he actually was”. The unhappy sitter, on acquiring the portrait, sent Freud a letter saying that he had “contravened an unwritten contract between painter and sitter.” The painting in question was destroyed by the model.

3. Freud did not begin to employ thick sculptural brushstrokes until later in his career, a decision which lost him some important supporters in the art world at the time.

4. Freud knew a great many artists but remained a great individualist and did not bow to other talent: he remembers Picasso as “absolutely poisonous”, Man Ray as “noisy and vulgar”, and German expressionist Max Ernst as a “heavy and stiff” dinner companion.

5. Freud had an almost visceral hatred of almost all art of the Renaissance. It makes sense: the Renaissance was the period, above all, during which man was celebrated as the crown of creation. Freud’s belief was the opposite: man, he seems to say, must never forget the fact that he is deteriorating matter. It was Kant who first observed that an aesthetic encounter can be one that is mixed with pain, and Freud proves it eloquently.

6. Freud disliked art that looks too much like art. On sitting for a Freud portrait the art critic Martin Gayford remembered that “the awkwardness that critics complain of in LF’s work is deliberate.” A 1950 painting in the Tate Britain called ‘Boy Smoking’, for example, is not a realistic portrait. The eyes are glassy and hollow, the face so flat you could tear it. But the flatness here tells us something of the boy’s circumstances: it is as if a hard expression has been ironed in place on his youthful skin. Freud met the boy, named Charles Lumley, when he and his brother were “in the act of breaking into his studio”. Freud was living in Paddington, a working-class area at the time, and he befriended some of his criminal neighbours

7. Freud famously painted a rather unflattering portrait of the Queen and celebrities like Kate Moss, but he also admired – and loved to paint – friends and scallywags, including a “very clever bank robber” (his words) who is now immortalized as a scar-faced man in a Lucian Freud called ‘A Man and His Daughter’ (1963-4). One’s overwhelming impression of that picture is that it was painted with a great deal of respect.

8. Freud used to say that time was his one great luxury in life. He took a great deal of time to get to know his subjects, and sometimes would be paintings them for years. He asks that of his audience too: every Lucian Freud portrait has a different presence, requires time to get to know.

9. Freud rarely talks about his art. He almost always refused interviews and, aged 81 at the time the conversations in this book were recorded (2003-4), it had taken him his 49 year career, he says, to “know that the main point about painting is paint: that it is all about paint.”

10. Freud saw every object in the world as possessing a unique character. Even into the sixtieth decade of his career, he still celebrates the unique history of each material thing he drew and painted. It is his acute sensitivity to the multitudinous variety of ‘being’ that kept him invigorated by his work.

Today at Google

2011-07-20T11:14:00.000+01:00

Do you like today's Google picture?


Austrian Scientist Gregor Mendel

If you like science then you'll enjoy our range of Knowledge Card Decks


Ask The Experts, Mind Blowing Answers to Science Questions

Who Was She? Notable Women In Science

Who Discovered Ganymede?

You can download our full catalogue of Knowledge Card Decks from:

www.pomegranate.com/printcatalog.html

On This Day - Gustav Klimt

2011-07-14T09:16:00.006+01:00

On this day in 1862 Gustav Klimt was born.

Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches and other art objects. Klimt's primary subject was the female body.

The Pomegranate Klimt Collection

Emilie Floge Jigsaw Puzzle

Gift Wrap
Boxed Embossed Notecards

Just a few of the beautiful Klimt products we have available, others include:-
Calendars, Book of Postcards, Pocket Address Book, Notecard Folio, Boxed Thank You Notes, Boxed Invitations, Pocket Journal, Bookmarks.

Visit our Art Nouveau Gallery

2011-07-08T10:58:00.003+01:00

Bieres de la Meuse Postcard

Art Nouveau is an international philosophy of style, art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1905.

A reaction to academic art of the 19th century, it is characterised by organic - especially floral and other plant-inspired motifs, as well as very stylised, flowing curvilinear forms.
Art Nouveau is a philosophy of design according to which artists should work on everything from architecture to furniture, making art part of ordinary life.

The style was influenced strongly by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha, when Mucha produced a lithographed poster, which appeared on 1 January 1895 in the streets of Paris as an advertisement for the play Gismonda by Victorien Sardou, featuring Sarah Bernhardt.

It popularised the new artistic style and its creator to the citizens of Paris. Initially named Style Mucha, (Mucha Style), his style soon became known as Art Nouveau.

Art Nouveau was most popular in Europe and the British Isles, but its influence was global.

Job Postcards

Visit of Gallery of Product at http://www.pomegranate.com/artnouveau.html

Thank You!

2011-07-05T09:00:00.004+01:00

Ten 3½ x 5 inch blank notecards with "Thank You" printed on the front and white envelopes in an acetate-topped box.

For info on all titles contact sales@pomeurope.co.uk
Or call 01926 403111

Pet Week - well, not exactly a pet.

2011-07-01T10:35:00.003+01:00

Today closes our Pomegranate Pet Week which showcases a few of our new range of Single, blank notecards.
Now whilst a sparrow is not an obvious pet, how many of us see sparrows in our garden especially if you regularly have bird seed on offer!

Sparrows and Bamboo
Ohara Keizan
[late 17th century-early 18th century]

For a fully illustrated catalogue of our Notecard range contact sales@pomeurope.co.uk
Or phone 01926 430111

Pet Week Continues ....

2011-06-30T12:49:00.004+01:00

...... with one of the most fascinating birds ever.

Barn Owl
Jeannine Chappell

For more information on Chappell's work visit - http://jeanninechappell.com/

To see the full range of our blank notecards [bagged & with envelopes] please contact at sales@pomeurope.co.uk or call us on 01926 430111

Pomegranate Pet Week Continues

2011-06-29T15:05:00.002+01:00

Rabbit and poetry, an unusual combination but we have it to offer.....

English Tabbit & Keats
Koo Schadler
'A thing of beauty is joy forever'

One of many new blank notecards from Pomegranate.

Contact us for a Notecard Catalogues sales@pomeurope.co.uk

For more info on Koo Schadler view http://www.kooschadler.com/

Pet Week at Pomegranate

2011-06-28T12:40:00.002+01:00

Cat day today and who hasn't see THIS face on THEIR cat?
L'ile d'Abel by William Steig

Find our more about this artist at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Steig

Just one of our new, blank notecards. Contact us for a catalogue at sales@pomeurope.co.uk or phone: 01926 430111 OR you can have one straight away by downloading from www.pomegranate.com/printcatalog.html

Pets We Love Notecard Week at Pomegranate

2011-06-27T12:59:00.009+01:00

We love out pets, oh yes we do so all this week we are going to feature images from our brand new range of Single Notecards.

Starting with these 2 cards from artist Judith Sparks:-

True Gold

Topaz

For our Notecard catalogue email: sales@pomeurope.co.uk or phone 01926 430111
Or download it now from: www.pomegranate.com/printcatalog.html

This is how it's done...

2011-06-17T09:17:00.007+01:00

Watch this ..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9AlhXpVy2E

Then read this:

Then colour this:

Then play:

More information from sales@pomeurope.co.uk
t: 01926 430111

All aboard!

2011-06-08T10:24:00.001+01:00

Railways, a subject of interest for many, but few more so than the National Railway Museum in York.

Published in partnership with the NRM, Pomegranate is proud to introduce 4 new railway poster colouring books. Covering the railway posters of England, Scotland, Ireland and America the fantastic line drawings in these books allows any crayon wielder to replicate some stunning designs!

Right behind the outstanding success of our England by Rail and Scotland by Rail calendars (available also for 2012) these colouring books are perfect for any train afficionado young, or old.

Featuring specially selected paper which even the thickest of felt tips can't soak through, and only the most beautiful and interesting posters these colouring books are the perfect way for a railway enthusiast to while away an afternoon, sampling the scenery of a long train ride around the Country.

These 4 new local interest titles really shine along side our booming range of 40 stunning colouring book titles.

All catalogues can be found by clicking here.