Shalise the Scarab

This portrait illustrates the life cycle of a scarab. I've named my beetle Shalise, which is an Egyptian name meaning "beautiful."




YAY ECODUNG!

To quote my friend Lee, "Dung Beetles lay their eggs in other animals' dung and make plant material. Yay, Ecodung!" I decided to go with the "eco" theme, using as many recycled fabrics as I could.



ABOUT THE SCARAB BEETLE

In addition to being an important part of our ecosystem, the scarab is a prominent figure in human history. This animal was considered sacred to ancient Egyptians, who believed in its connection to the sun god, Ra. The way a scarab would roll a ball of feces across the ground reminded the Egyptians of how the sun would "roll" across the sky each day.

IN CONCLUSION

The scarab is a creepy, crawly insect that rolls around balls of poop for a living, but I have to agree with the Egyptians. They deserve my reverence as a beautifully divine creature.


(To view the study, sculpture, drawing, and vector graphic for this portrait, please view a previous post.)

favorite projects from 2011 - thanks to you!

This sunset fabric collage was commissioned by my dad. It's a smaller version of the original, which I made for our friends, Fausto and Janelle. Thank you so much for your support and inspiration!

sunset collage no. 2
16" x 16" / fabric and thread

Ah, the monster guys! I have to say, taking classes at SD City College has been one of the best decisions I've made as an artist. Each of these glaze test pieces has assumed its own personality, and to me, they represent the amazing array of kooky classmates I have come to love.

mini monster heads
clay and glaze

My pickiest and most gratifying client: Martian Horses. :) You push me to create things I could never imagine on my own, such as this "end of world scenario."

smoke and bugs
11" x 17" / paper and paint

One of the most difficult things for me, is to let go of aesthetic expectations and create something conceptual. Here is something I sculpted this summer which I'm personally proud of. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful teacher, Terri, who always encourages me to push my own boundaries.

Outrospection

6.5" x 6"x 5" / ceramic sculpture / 4 nesting pieces

scarabs coming along...

OK, picking up a rythmn now — here's my progress on the next animal, the scarab beetle:

step 5: vector graphic (last step before the fabric collage!)

step 4: drawing of the sculpture

step 3: finished sculptures

step 2: unfired clay sculptures

step 1: study of the scarab beetle

Hopefully I'll be able to finish the fabric collage next week. I'll explain more about this peculiar creature in my next post with new pics. :)