Head over to Red Hook to view my "Sheepdog and Penguins" at the Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition Gallery! Open on weekends 1-6!
Friday, September 21, 2012
BWAC Show "Coming To Brooklyn"!
Head over to Red Hook to view my "Sheepdog and Penguins" at the Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition Gallery! Open on weekends 1-6!
Flocks
This just baffles me. I know sometimes large bird flocks (in this case European Starlings in video 1, Blackbirds in video 2) fly together in these organically transforming shapes to ward off predators, but other times, is it just....for fun? Like the pretend synchronized swimming performances me and my sister used to do in my grandma's pool. Except with millions of performers and in perfect, improvised form. FUN!
So, fish and birds....do any land animals do this? Or, is the pattern creation completely dependent on the fluid-like essence of air and water? It's just baffling! And so freakin impressive! There have been studies done with fish...and the results were that they are highly sensitive to water flow and can sense the push of water from the lead fishes' tail. Yes, I can totally accept that as an answer, but....it's still so baffling! There are simple questions like, Where are they going!? and WHY!? and HOW?! uggghhhhh I can't take it! But then I can because it's just so goddamn pretty...
My living room/dining room/kitchen (New York apartments...sigh) is FULL of my paintings of birds. And recently, someone came over and mentioned it. "Oh, so you really like birds....like, that's what you paint..." And I got kinda defensive and said "Pshhhh no! That's just....you know, what's here...you know, I sell stuff....sometimes...not, tons, but....birds, ha, no...sort of....mammals are better!" smooooooth.
Birds are OK, but they're way creepy and bony and too prehistoric to relate to. They blink and walk too fast, they seem smart but act too impulsively, their beaks and claws are threatening and their eyes--blank and evil.
That being said, I can't stop painting them. I'm just constantly in awe of the things they do. They got me in their creepy little trap and I can't get leave or they'll peck out my eyes! But yes, it's true, birds are amazing. Maybe the first step is admitting it.
The Amazing Bee-Eaters
I have a new favorite bird. And it's name is the Bee-Eater. Beautiful, colorful birds that have got their killing methods down. Like the pretty girl on the playground, they swoop in all elegantly and bright, then destroy bee's by squeezing their guts and bashing their bodies.
I have always been afraid of bee's, wasp's, and most everything else that hurts and so, if I ever get another bird (RIP Dexter), maybe it will be a Bee-Eater. It will be my guard bird.
Here's how you would eat a bee, if you were a Bee-Eater.
Step One: Catch yaself a bee! Just fly right at it, and snatch it on the torso! Mid-air, easy-style, suck it up, don't be scared, it won't see you you're just RAINBOW COLORED.
<----- git em!
Next Step!
I have always been afraid of bee's, wasp's, and most everything else that hurts and so, if I ever get another bird (RIP Dexter), maybe it will be a Bee-Eater. It will be my guard bird.
Here's how you would eat a bee, if you were a Bee-Eater.
Step One: Catch yaself a bee! Just fly right at it, and snatch it on the torso! Mid-air, easy-style, suck it up, don't be scared, it won't see you you're just RAINBOW COLORED.
<----- git em!
Next Step!
Take a perch, rest your wings. Food Prep Time. Like a tube of toothpaste, squish that torso till the poison comes out. Then whack the crap out of the bee, wiping it's poison onto your perch. It might take a few tries, but whatever, bee's sting and birds don't.
This is best illustrated in video form, see below:
Pop that bee back! Man, I just love seeing bee's get eaten. I mean, I think they're amazing and totally super important and all, but this is just great.
Bee-Eaters, lets hang out.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Sheepdog and Penguins
Just finished my newest painting!!! It was quite a difficult one, too. As usual, I've named it something rather bland, "Sheepdog and Penguins", yet the work itself is based on an absolutely compelling story that I couldn't get out of my mind.
There are countless articles on this story by news outlets around the world from NPR to Australia's Herald Sun (they win the award for cutest cover story picture, look below…awwww!!!) .
O, Herald Sun, you know just how to tug on my heart strings…
Needless to say, this story made an impact for its' entertainment value, as well as it's value as BadAss Conservation News (I should trademark that).
So, here it is: The Little Blue Penguin, also called the Fairy Penguin, Little Penguin, and Blue Penguin, are a sort of, national symbol for the people of coastal Australia and New Zealand (those freakin' islanders and their interesting animals....so jealous).
Middle Island, off the coast of Australia, was home to a colony of Little Blue Penguins that seasonally rest on the islands' shores around mating time. But, in 2005 a few foxes found a land-bridge to the island at low tide and killed off the penguins to a mere 10. "Swampy", our wise, heroic, "chook" farmer in the story, describes the fox/penguin relationship as "it's like salt-and-vinegar chips to foxes, I reckon".
Snack food or not, "Swampy" decided to do something about the loss of a nationally popular shore bird. He took his sheepdog, "Oddball"--a white, fluffy, Marrema, who usually protects his chickens--to the island in hopes that he would protect the penguins. The first few tries backfired. "Oddball" got lonely, swam home, and didn't seem to pay any attention to the penguins.
So, here it is: The Little Blue Penguin, also called the Fairy Penguin, Little Penguin, and Blue Penguin, are a sort of, national symbol for the people of coastal Australia and New Zealand (those freakin' islanders and their interesting animals....so jealous).
Middle Island, off the coast of Australia, was home to a colony of Little Blue Penguins that seasonally rest on the islands' shores around mating time. But, in 2005 a few foxes found a land-bridge to the island at low tide and killed off the penguins to a mere 10. "Swampy", our wise, heroic, "chook" farmer in the story, describes the fox/penguin relationship as "it's like salt-and-vinegar chips to foxes, I reckon".
Snack food or not, "Swampy" decided to do something about the loss of a nationally popular shore bird. He took his sheepdog, "Oddball"--a white, fluffy, Marrema, who usually protects his chickens--to the island in hopes that he would protect the penguins. The first few tries backfired. "Oddball" got lonely, swam home, and didn't seem to pay any attention to the penguins.
Local conservationists predicted that the dog would need sufficient training to know to protect and not to eat the penguin population. But, after a few futile attempts, "Oddball" starting staying on the island, understanding his role as a protector.
He marked the area around the penguin colony and kept lookout for foxes, barking and chasing them away when he saw them. Within weeks, the colony started growing. Since 2005 the colony has bounced back, numbering in the hundreds.
Now, a few Marrema sheepdogs are on the island on rotating shifts so that they all have a break and don't get bored and swim home. Middle island has gotten a huge grant to continue and study the project and conservationists are looking at using sheepdogs to protect other vulnerable species.
He marked the area around the penguin colony and kept lookout for foxes, barking and chasing them away when he saw them. Within weeks, the colony started growing. Since 2005 the colony has bounced back, numbering in the hundreds.
Now, a few Marrema sheepdogs are on the island on rotating shifts so that they all have a break and don't get bored and swim home. Middle island has gotten a huge grant to continue and study the project and conservationists are looking at using sheepdogs to protect other vulnerable species.
On Middle Island with a Marrema
Animal senses have been utilized for our advantage for centuries…War Pigeons (Woohoo! Buy my painting!) for delivering messages, scent tracking dogs, rats for land-mines, I'm pretty sure dolphins have been used on many occasions….All sorts of jobs for animals with sharp senses and a brain for human interaction. My previous post was about a dog who finds whale scat in the ocean for scientists to test and depict food sources and stressors of whales off the coast of Oregon. Plus, check out www.workingdogsforconservation.org and you'll find a list of dogs trained to search for things like invasive snails in Hawaii, bear, wolverine, and lynx scat, identifying Giant Pandas in China, gorillas in the Congo, and rare plant species around the world. Pretty amazing stuff.
The story of "Oddball" and his penguins is obviously interesting, entertaining, and heart-warming. But, it fascinates me because it highlight an even more dramatic shift in conservation thinking. It shows the tilt toward setting up the parameters for biodiversity while not invading into it. Which, I think is a very healthy and creative path to take.
Gerald Durrell was a pioneer in conversation because instead of killing the animals to take them home for study, he captured them, re-wrote and elevated the rules for an acceptable zoo, and then brought them home for study alive, well, and on display for the public to educate themselves about animals from around the world. Now, that method seems archaic. Now, the impulse is towards being as un-invasive as possible, getting a much broader picture of a targeted population, and utilizing your resources to keep the price tag down.
This story does just that. A local dog, hardly any training or money necessary, and minimal human footprints. It's an entirely intuitive and accidental approach that worked seamlessly. "Swampy" is not a certified dog trainer, "Oddball" was not bred for penguin-watching or fox-scaring. It was purely the right job, for the right species, for a good cause. Plus, it caught the eye of the public which--in our world of low funding for science and high demand for the media spot-light--is a very, very good thing.
That massive grant was well deserved and hopefully will lead to more money for more projects with a focus on non-invasive conservation efforts in the future.
Hope you like the painting!
The story of "Oddball" and his penguins is obviously interesting, entertaining, and heart-warming. But, it fascinates me because it highlight an even more dramatic shift in conservation thinking. It shows the tilt toward setting up the parameters for biodiversity while not invading into it. Which, I think is a very healthy and creative path to take.
Gerald Durrell was a pioneer in conversation because instead of killing the animals to take them home for study, he captured them, re-wrote and elevated the rules for an acceptable zoo, and then brought them home for study alive, well, and on display for the public to educate themselves about animals from around the world. Now, that method seems archaic. Now, the impulse is towards being as un-invasive as possible, getting a much broader picture of a targeted population, and utilizing your resources to keep the price tag down.
This story does just that. A local dog, hardly any training or money necessary, and minimal human footprints. It's an entirely intuitive and accidental approach that worked seamlessly. "Swampy" is not a certified dog trainer, "Oddball" was not bred for penguin-watching or fox-scaring. It was purely the right job, for the right species, for a good cause. Plus, it caught the eye of the public which--in our world of low funding for science and high demand for the media spot-light--is a very, very good thing.
That massive grant was well deserved and hopefully will lead to more money for more projects with a focus on non-invasive conservation efforts in the future.
Hope you like the painting!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Jackie on ETSY!
My Etsy site is now up and running!!
Just click here or search JDpaintings on Esty and you'll find me! All my paintings are there complete with prices and descriptions. I admit, there is still work to be done--it's a pretty bland page right now--but it's only going to get better!
Thanks Etsy! Fingers crossed…..
Just click here or search JDpaintings on Esty and you'll find me! All my paintings are there complete with prices and descriptions. I admit, there is still work to be done--it's a pretty bland page right now--but it's only going to get better!
Thanks Etsy! Fingers crossed…..
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Go Go Conservation Dogs, Go!
Click here to see the video posted on the New York Times website about a whale-scat sniffing dog doing research off the west coast! One more shining example of dogs successfully working in conservation!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Animal Funeral
I've often considered doing a series of animal funerals, but I haven't gotten around to doing the research yet. This article on the BBC's website about a study in the journal Animal Behavior sites the findings about Blue Jay funerals.
Attaching the word 'funeral' to an action done by animals is tricky because for us, a funeral serves only an emotional purpose, and so, I don't know if that is the best way to describe actions taken post-death in the animal world. It varies by species but, with Blue Jays, the funeral seems to be a cautionary routine to warn that something has killed their own.
But it's easy to understand scientists conundrum when studying animal behavior. The most popular and relatable animal funeral is from elephants. This video by National Geographic outlines the funeral and almost immediately tags it as human emotions. I can't say I disagree, but I do think it's important to be consistent and mention the other animals like geese, sea lions, dolphins, wolves, foxes, gorillas, baboons, llamas, and others that have some version of a 'funeral' with the death of one of their own. And then, to remember that jumbled mix of confusion that comes with the death of a human.
If we say animals have human-like emotions towards death, lets give them the whole range of emotions, not just the ones that we like to awe at.
Oh feelings!
Attaching the word 'funeral' to an action done by animals is tricky because for us, a funeral serves only an emotional purpose, and so, I don't know if that is the best way to describe actions taken post-death in the animal world. It varies by species but, with Blue Jays, the funeral seems to be a cautionary routine to warn that something has killed their own.
But it's easy to understand scientists conundrum when studying animal behavior. The most popular and relatable animal funeral is from elephants. This video by National Geographic outlines the funeral and almost immediately tags it as human emotions. I can't say I disagree, but I do think it's important to be consistent and mention the other animals like geese, sea lions, dolphins, wolves, foxes, gorillas, baboons, llamas, and others that have some version of a 'funeral' with the death of one of their own. And then, to remember that jumbled mix of confusion that comes with the death of a human.
If we say animals have human-like emotions towards death, lets give them the whole range of emotions, not just the ones that we like to awe at.
Oh feelings!
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