Vespinidus

Regardless of subject matter I seek to create paintings that are visually beautiful, naturalistic and filled with intricate details. I have a keen interest in entomology, ornithology and natural history and hope my paintings can at times blur the line between fine art and scientific illustration. This collection of paintings contains two watercolour studies of bird skulls. I am fascinated by the forms and idiosyncrasies of each skull and hope that these paintings can serve as a sort of elegy to the birds themselves. This collection also contains a still life painting of a wasp nest with a dead wasp. The title “Vespinidus” is a rough portmanteau of the Latin names for wasp and nest. Wasps are inarguably one of the most vilified creatures on the planet, yet they are vital to the ecosystem and (as evidenced by the fragile beauty of the nest I’ve painted) can be considered artists in their own right. “The Little Prince” is a painting of a dead praying mantis that I raised from a nymph throughout lockdown. The title is taken from Antoine De Saint-Exupery’s sad but beautiful novella. Despite his diminutive size and short life span he was much loved and this painting was a means of preserving his delicate and unusual beauty.