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Several years ago some of our neighbors and I started a gardening for wildlife group. We now have about 35-40 people from our middle class suburban neighborhood in our group. It has been quite fun to find like minded people so close in our midst. Last year I counted how many species I had on my Christmas tree and counted about 35 (some mythical or non-identifiable as a species). I'm trying to convince Karen Johnson to make some bug Christmas ornaments. It's not easy to find bugs. Cheers, Patricia Savage *Mayapple**Studio* 919-859-2789 (h), 919-438-6766 (m) www.psavageart.com Join me on Facebook On 1/17/14 12:46 PM, Barry K. MacKay wrote: > > I was thinking along those lines myself. > > Late in my life I am in a relationship with a widow who has two grown > (but not grown-up) kids, a boy, who still lives with his mom, and a > girl who has moved out. We don't live together, mainly because of the > boy still being at home...he and I get along super but I think that > our friendship might falter if we were living in the same house. The > girl moved into with her boyfriend and his family, but that broke up > and she's now with me, at least temporarily...and that works out since > she's hardly ever here (she already has a new boyfriend...oh to be > young).. > > BUT, none of them, thus their friends and colleagues, are from "my" > world. And it is astounding to me when I come up against "ordinary" > people...people who don't have a hawk spending the winter in the > furnace room while recovering from head trauma; who don't have > preserved zoological specimens tucked here and there; who don't have > massive reference libraries, who don't comment on the appearance of > clouds, who don't automatically kill spiders, who have a dead whatever > in the freezer (but is a vegan in their diet as I and one group of my > friends are) or runs toward, not away from, snakes, or whose camera is > virtually never aimed at humans, or is not fanatical but is careful, > about saving energy or properly recycling, or has "ugly creatures" as > screen-savers and so on and on... > > It doesn't help that I read non-fiction, don't watch television other > than news shows and documentaries and I haven't heard of any of a wide > range of "celebrities" they seem to know intimately. In short, they > are "ordinary people". > > But the biggest difference is this: They work at jobs they don't > like! Not in the sense that they'd do the work whether paid or not. > My jobs...artist, writer, animal protectionist...are all complimentary > and I enjoy and would do each of them paid or not, and far from > looking forward to getting away from them, I look forward to doing > them. They, this other group of friends and acquaintances, don't. > > That's why I stayed a bachelor...I knew that I'd wouldn't earn a good > living doing what I enjoyed doing (unless I met Miss Right who felt > the same...alas, I never did) and so now I have this comfortable > relationship and it's working out fine except that my tongue is sore > from biting it so as not to express my own shock at so much of what > they say. > > I could be wrong, but I think that as artists who do, in varying > degrees and in varying ways, representational work -- realism -- even > if it's entirely by computer (I am entirely old fashioned > traditionalist in my own work) we SEE the physical world more clearly > than "ordinary" folks. I am forever noting how the light hits the > edge of a twig, or the shape of shadows, the texture of a rock or wall > or whatever, and I'm pretty sure we all do the same. > > But I think (and, as I say, could be wrong) that this habit also makes > us more analytical than those "ordinary people". I can't say that to > them without sounding horribly elitist, so I shut up, but I find that > they tend to make assumptions unfounded by anything close to facts. > My other friends are far less inclined to do that...artists and > advocates both. > > It's just a theory, but often sitting with 'them", although they may > be fun or entertaining to be with, I still feel a little like I've > fallen down the rabbit-hole. > > Barry > > *From:*SciArt-L Discussion List-for Natural Science Illustration- > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Barbara Harmon > *Sent:* January-17-14 11:54 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: [SCIART] TAN- Gecko recovered! > > Probably my favorite thing about this profession. > > :-D > > Barbara Harmon > > 508-430-8308 > > www.barbaraharmon.com <http://www.barbaraharmon.com> > > http://harmon-murals.blogspot.com/ > > On Jan 17, 2014, at 11:49 AM, Linda Feltner wrote: > > > > We do have stories to tell...... > > haha > > Linda > > _____________________ > > Linda M. Feltner Artist, LLC > P.O. Box 325 > Hereford, AZ 85615 > (520) 803-0538 > > www.lindafeltner.com <http://www.lindafeltner.com/> > > > > On Jan 17, 2014, at 9:44 AM, OC Carlisle wrote: > > > > This whole series of texts has all the makings of a short movie, > cartoon drawings...Scientific illustrators encounters with animals. > "Drawing on the Wild Side..." Reminds me of the movie "Ratatouille" > > "OC" > > ________________________________________________ > > Need to leave or subscribe to the Sciart-L listserv? Follow the > instructions at > http://www.gnsi.org/resources/reviews/gnsi-sciart-l-listserv > > ________________________________________________ > > Need to leave or subscribe to the Sciart-L listserv? Follow the > instructions at > http://www.gnsi.org/resources/reviews/gnsi-sciart-l-listserv > > ________________________________________________ > > Need to leave or subscribe to the Sciart-L listserv? Follow the > instructions at > http://www.gnsi.org/resources/reviews/gnsi-sciart-l-listserv > Need to leave or subscribe to the Sciart-L listserv? Follow the instructions at http://www.gnsi.org/resources/reviews/gnsi-sciart-l-listserv