Companions

A cat and her spider companion. I did the figures in colored pencils, but the background is entirely black acrylic paint. That took a LOT of paint and a lot of time–painting around the spider was tricky!

I'm going to use a part of this picture on my business card. :) 

Acrylic and colored pencils on mixed media paper. Approx. 9 × 12 inches.

Regalis

Illustration of a Poecilotheria regalis, aka an Indian ornamental spider. Poecilotherias are just such gorgeous spiders–even if you normally don’t like tarantulas you have to admit that their colors and markings are stunning.

This piece is approximately 9×6.5 inches on marker paper, done in markers, colored pencils, and oil pastels.

Golden Spider

Another acrylic picture. Just a pretty golden tarantula, no specific species.

Acrylic and gouache on mixed media paper, 7 x 5 inches.

Spider Guardian

I completed this during a college life drawing course. The assignment was to do a self portrait revealing something important about ourselves. Therefore I chose to draw myself a spider, an animal that is very special to me. The spider has been with me for many years. Spiders are the symbol of creativity worldwide, from various Native American stories of Grandmother Spider weaving the universe to African stories of Anansi stealing the craft of storytelling from the heavens. To me they are also a symbol of overcoming fear–I was once terrified of spiders, but not anymore. Now I know that they are my brothers and sisters.

Carbon and charcoal on cream paper, 22×30 inches.

Companions

A cat and her spider companion. I did the figures in colored pencils, but the background is entirely black acrylic paint. That took a lot of paint and a lot of time–painting around the spider was tricky!

Acrylic and colored pencils on mixed media paper. Approx. 9 × 12 inches.

War of the Spiders

Tarantulas are some of my favorite animals, so of course I had to make up a story about them.

If you know spiders, you know that females are usually bigger and stronger than the males, and after mating the female often devours the male. In this fantastical spider society, the males are fighting for their rights and equality with females. A couple of females, such as the goliath birdeater battling the brazilian red and white tarantula, have even joined the fight. Unfortunately, the leader of the movement has become corrupt. Rather than simply fighting in defense, he has turned to terrorist tactics such as burning egg sacs and attacking mother tarantulas with a four-foot long centipede. His students take a stand against him, wanting their war to be one fought with honor.

This is another one of those stories I’m going to have to write out in order to explore further. In any case I’ve been developing the general story for some time as a way of thinking over what constitutes war as a necessary evil and what constitutes terrorism. A complicated issue but one that’s important to consider.

I had names for all these spider characters but I may or may not change them.

 Done in watercolor, colored pencils, ink, and acrylic on mixed media paper. This piece is approximately 9 x 11 inches.