Pheromone The Insect Artwork of Christopher Marley

Pheromone : The Insect Artwork of Christopher Marley
ISBN: 9780764946196
Publication Date: 1 September 2008

Christopher Marley's graceful arrangements of jewel-like arthropods make converts of those who have long seen insects as creepy-these are stunning works of art.

Marley's keen eye for design combines with his entomological education to produce mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic bug mandalas and striking up-close-and-personal single-insect portraits. Neither painted nor digitally enhanced, the artist's subjects appear in this book just as they would if you found one on your screen door.

Each gorgeous creation is identified with its scientific and common names, and many are accompanied by concise descriptive text.

In succinct essays, Marley writes about insect collecting and its benefits to the environment; he describes his creative process in choosing and arranging the creatures for optimal visual effect.

After a childhood spent running from every creature that skittered about on more than four legs, Marley has devoted much of his adult life to studying bugs-with increasing fascination. He makes frequent forays to remote locations far removed from his home in Oregon, seeking out the most beautiful and exotic species on Earth.

This book presents the compositions of Christopher Marley: assemblages of real insect bodies that display brilliant color and otherworldly form. The colors are entirely natural, and to render the reproductions as accurately as possible some have been reproduced with fifth-color metallic inks and highlighted with spot varnish.

Accompanying the broad sample of Marley's work is a series of essays by the artist: Design of Insects, Insects in Design, History, Color, The Coleoptera Mosaics: An Exercise in Color, Repetition, Structure, Texture, Variations, Botanicals, Size, and Environmental Effects.

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