Animalau Blog

I hope they won’t be mere stories one day.

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click image for detail

Three of the eight subspecies are extinct. We can’t bring them back with Venus wishes!

http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/tigers/index.html

-Christie

I just drew whatever I wanted!

for my friend, CK! Her zodiac is a tiiiggggger

-Christie

Peacocks participating in a lek reminds me of high school dances. An all boy high school would extend a number of invitations to other schools to join them for a dance party. These schools were of the all female variety, allowing a small group of young men to a wide selection of young women. In leks, a group of peacocks perform in front of a bunch of female spectators, seemingly giving them all an advantageous platform to show off their strengths. Cruelly, however, usually only one or two peacocks clearly seem to be a worthy hottie, and they are the ones that attract a disproportionate number of peahens.

If you were a bad dancer or weren’t born with the best tail feathers, why would you ever participate in a lek? To very altruistically make that handsome peacock look a lot better?

ball point pen

Perhaps the answer lies in the Price equation, where your inclination to help another is based on how closely related you are to your kin. The males who participate in a lek are all related, so really, by helping them find a good wife(/wives) at least some of your genes will be passed on.

If you were a boy from a single sex school, you’d want to pride yourself in belonging to a school known for the best parties and most successful guys. Or the hottest high school girl in the world is dating a guy from your chemistry class!

-Christie

As scavengers, vultures are meant to recycle the remains of the deceased. Their presence brings balance to the community. This equilibrium is threatened, however, as Egyptian vultures have been observed using stones to break open ostrich eggs, package of lives just beginning. Intelligence can be a wicked gift, as it does not necessarily guarantee the welfare of the whole.

detail of his feathers

detail

This painting is a commissioned piece of my first painting using the acrylic inks! When I first started using this medium I tried using them with brushes and nibs, ’cause I was primarily drawing and wanted to use some colour for accents.

And the reason why I couldn’t give this painting to my client is because I had traded artwork with my hot glass instructor at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, Jason Forck!

sabre tooth tiger skull of glass!!!

I thought it was a pretty unfair trade, since this really is the coolest thing in my studio. If you have been to my studio, you’ll know it’s the first thing I show guests…and here I am showing it all to you now! Okay. Too many dead animals. Bye!

-Christie