OniOniOniArt

"Scan a newspaper or news site and make something inspired by today's headlines" So, this NPR  article, published June 16th, informed me that in a bog in Ireland,  a huge lump of 2,000 year-old intact butter was found. BBC has a little more info, and a picture ! It's described as smelling like old cheese and weighs nearly 22 lbs (10 kg as BBC points out). My ink drawing features the butter, freshly pulled from the bog with stoneflies buzzing past. Stoneflies, not because they're attracted to butter, but because I needed an insect and they're a likely candidate for being found in a bog. AND they exist in Ireland! (June 16, 2016)

"Break something and make something new with the parts" I was low on breakables (=none) but I had some oak leaves in my car (don't ask). So I smashed those up and what better insect to make than a leaf-mimic walking stick from actual leaves? (The real insect is a much better mimic.) Leaves! Smash! Bug! (June 15, 2016)

"It's National Poetry Month! Write a poem or make something inspired by a poem you like" I decided to create tanka, a classical Japanese poetry style similar to haiku in that you have a set number of syllables per line. Tanka are 5-7-5-7-7 and often depend on puns and double entendres for meaning (I have no such skill). They were frequently introduced with a bit of prose describing the feeling, thoughts, mood, scenery, or any other bit of information about why or when it was composed, that gave further depth and context to the short poems. When a friend asked me to name a favorite insect I replied: The tiger beetle Mantispids are another Mantids, can't deny My favorite's hard to pin Can't even choose an Order! On discovering my beloved mantids belonged with vile roaches on the cladogram: Preying mantids may evolutionarily  be predatory elongated cockroaches, I pray not show revulsion More on classical Japan here . ...

"Create something that makes you laugh out loud" "Starbucks ruined my coffee" Recent events being what they are, on top of a more personal issue, did not put me in a mood to complete this day's prompt. This is the same prompt that finally derailed me from the entire Bug-A-Day project because it came the day after Maceo died and I couldn't handle it anymore. I was texting a friend while distracted at work, who was being supportive in the wake of bad news. This was towards the end of the exchange: (And yes, that is the screen and keypad of a non-smart phone device  which I lovingly call my "stupid phone") I used the unexpected LOL as inspiration for the drawing, a fiery searcher (a type of predatory ground beetle) dumping out the coffee which ruined its day. Thanks for the cheering up, L. (June 13, 2016)

"Work with your non-dominant hand. If you are usually right-handed use your left, if you are left-handed, use your right. If you are ambidextrous, use your nose" This is a re-do *using my left hand* of the same mantis drawing (floral mantid) I did for the CS first day's prompt. It's better than I expected. (April 16, 2016)

"Create something inspired by an email, text, or other message you received today" My friend and I were texting about tacos for lunch. I drew this on a post-it note. (April 14, 2016)

"Transform something you thought was trash into something you want to keep" Actually, I don't want to keep it, but it is made of trash. Foil, a bit of rafia, and some old paperclips. All pulled out of the trash can. ...yep, going back in the trash can now... (June 12, 2016)

"Work with only what you find in your pockets or bag today" I've had what I presume was a flu bug of some sort for close to two weeks now,  finally better, so this is what was lingering in my bag: Sucrets, Ricola, and Advil. The wings are made from Ricola wrappers. Bonus: I cut the wings using the Swiss army knife keychain which was also in my bag. (June 12, 2016) This was done out of order and not in April!

"Make something inspired by the last song or piece of music you listened to" That happened to be the Phil Collins song In the Air Tonight .  You know the one... "I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord!" very ominous sounding, and sort of just lingers in your ear with its catchy drumming.  Makes you look over your shoulder a bit. This is rendered in green acrylic pigment ink on black paper. I did some googling and apparently Phil doesn't really know what his song means either. (April 11, 2016)

"Use water as your medium or inspiration today" Not very inspiring, but the fogged mirror wouldn't cooperate. On left is the actual, on right is my "enhanced" version so you can actually see it. I'm trying to pick back up where I left off on the 30-day Creative Sprint challenge. Maceo's illness and then death, coupled with new job fatigue, really knocked me off the wagon. A few of these that I'll be posting today were completed in April (out of order it seems) but never posted. I had skipped a couple at the time which I have now completed in June, and will go forward one a day from where I left off on Day 16 (Day 15 was the last one I did in April on the 16th as I needed a distraction. Day 16's prompt just killed me at the time and then I stopped). I suppose today I need a distraction, too. (April 11, 2016)