Hey, hey, I finally got to see another beneficial insect on my porch right before hauling my plants in for the winter! This time, it was Arilus cristatus, the wheel bug. As their ridged back portends, they are a type of assassin bug which in both its larval and adult stages preys upon aphids, caterpillars, and beetles - including my very common fall pest, the stink bug. If manhandled, they can bite painfully but they are not aggressive and this fellow somewhat unwillingly posed for me for several minutes before flying off when I got the camera lens just a little too close. As I was planning on bringing in my plants later that afternoon, I was OK with having scared it away temporarily; I don't think it'd be able to survive overwintering in my house. Hopefully it'll return, though, to guard my sempervivum and sedum which spend the winter outdoors.
Recent Art Sale at First City Photo & Frames
I recently participated in a art sale on November 11-12 in downtown Leavenworth's First City Photo & Frames. I had a stand at this artist-run event last year as well, but this year I had even more of a selection available for sale. The greeting cards were particularly popular! I have plans to expand my reproduction sales to my website, so stay tuned...
Hurricanes, Rogue Waves, Rogue Wave Holes, and the Three Sisters
Do you ever go on Wikipedia research spirals? I end up on them all the time. My most recent lengthy one began with this Yankee Magazine article, "A Fatal Mistake | The Sinking of El Faro," which brought me to the Wikipedia page for SS El Faro, which somehow led to researching rogue waves and rogue wave holes and the MS München as well as the Three Sisters waves and the SS Edmund Fitzgerald amongst other well known incidents.
This was all particularly interesting to me given my prior experience working as an assistant vessel operator in dry bulk shipping. While steering-into-a-hurricane-leads-to-calamity is an unsurprising notion to me, I was not aware of the phenomenon of rogue waves prior to this research spiral; science itself wasn't really aware either until 1995! It's amazing and kind of simultaneously exciting and terrifying to me that there is still so much about this world that we don't know or understand.
Video from Hannah March Sanders' Exhibition
If you aren't able to make it to the exhibition (up through November 4th, aka tomorrow, in USM's Goppert Gallery), here's an installation video Hannah took!
Halloween Pixelated, Low Resolution Face Paint
I like to paint my face each Halloween with either an art-related theme or a high skill look (or ideally, both!); I fancy that it shows my students another facet of artistry they may not have considered - and being a good makeup or visual effects artist absolutely involves a lot of the principles and elements of design.
This year, I did a pixelated, low-resolution look. That's what you get when blowing up raster... and we've been talking about vector vs. raster artwork in Computer Graphics all semester!
Finally, A Beneficial Insect Predator!
I mean, I love my spider friends, but come on - there are predatory insects, too, and yet I haven't seen one aside from wasps this whole summer around my plants... until now! Perhaps my favorite one just showed up on my back porch: the praying mantis. Guard away, comrade.
More Porch Insect Visitors
While most of the insects I observe in and around my plants are pests, they nonetheless possess a wide range of forms and colors that are always interesting to me. Here are three of the latest visitors - a spotted cucumber beetle, a white planthopper, and a caterpillar who appears to be ready to turn into a chrysalis after having nommed on my Uncarina roeoesliana. Speaking of plant visitors and pests, I will shortly be hauling all of my houseplants inside; this migration every fall always includes the accidental transfer of a couple spiders and tens of stink bugs. I've already transported one stink bug inside when I brought a couple plants in for a particularly cold evening...
Blooming Ariocarpus Retusus var. Furfuraceus
Check out my gorgeous Ariocarpus retusus var. furfuraceus in flower! I've only owned this plant for about two and a half months (purchased from the Kansas City Cactus & Succulent Society annual show and sale), but it wasn't already set to bloom when I purchased it so it seems like it enjoys being in my collection, for which I'm thankful as it's a stunning specimen both in and out of bloom.
Guest Blogging for LSU College of Science on National Reptile Awareness Day
The Pursuit, LSU College of Science's blog, asked me to do a post in honor of National Reptile Awareness Day (October 21). Check it out!
Reminder: All Things Animals! at the Boston Children's Museum
in Exhibitions, Events
If you're in or passing through Boston this Friday, consider stopping by the Boston Children's Museum for the reception for the All Things Animals! exhibition I'm participating in (two of my paintings are on display). The reception runs from 6-8pm on Friday, October 21st. Here's some more info directly from the museum itself:
We hope you can join us to celebrate! Due to museum policy, we unfortunately cannot provide food and beverages at the reception. Museum admission is only $1.00 after 5:00pm on Fridays, so bring the family! Adults attending without kids, be sure to bring your IDs- as part of the museum's "Unaccompanied Adult" policy, they ask that you leave a photo ID at the Admissions desk for safety reasons while visiting. To get to the gallery, you can take the stairs or elevator to the second floor. Once you reach the second floor, take a right and follow the hallway to the Keva exhibit. In Keva, continue right, which will lead you straight into the gallery. Here is a link to the museum’s floor plan, just in case you would prefer a visual: http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/visit/floor-plan.
Guest Artists at USM
Sorry for the slight gap in posts - it's been a very busy couple of weeks! I did want to pop in and let you know that tomorrow afternoon is the reception for our latest guest artist, Assistant Professor of Art Hannah March Sanders of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. Hannah is a fiber artist and printmaker often working in collaboration with her husband, and I am very excited about her exhibition! Here's the press release for her exhibition, if you'd like more details!
I also neglected to highlight our previous guest artist, so I'll do that now as well. Illinois painter Scott Thomas Arthur exhibited in USM's Goppert Gallery from September 9th through the 30th. His press release is here.
I met both of these talented artists while in graduate school at LSU, and was very excited when they both agreed to exhibit particularly because both were willing to drive over to Leavenworth and actually be present for the reception as well as guest lecture my Portfolio Seminar class. This allows students and reception attendees the ability to really connect with the artists and their artwork in a way that they just can't when they only have access to the artwork.
Lex Being Adorable
My crested gecko Lex's home is a planted vivarium, and I somewhat regularly switch out the plants depending on what thrives, what she likes to interact with, what is available for a good price, and so on. Quite a few months ago, I put a small Dracaena (I think perhaps Dracaena compacta but I'm not 100% certain) in her tank. Lex is always suspicious of new tank additions, so while I know she acclimated enough to tolerate being around it some time ago, she's now finally decided it's actually trustworthy and quite comfy to boot; here's a few shots of her latest sleeping position. Crested geckos are nocturnal so she mostly sleeps during the daytime; they also don't have eyelids so while she looks to be awake in these photos, she is really either fully asleep or drowsily wondering what I'm doing poking a camera lens in her face.
Spider Friends!
I don't enjoy close quarters with a lot of insects (mosquitoes, flies, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, wasps, etcetera) which means I do like spiders! They eat insects and therefore protect my plants and porch. This summer, a small jumping spider decided to make its home in my mailbox. I've previously evicted a number of wasps from trying to do the same, but this little fellow has my permission to stay. It's hard to sex jumping spiders so I don't know for sure if this guy is a male, but I've named him Humberto nonetheless.
Then there're the orb weavers! If you recall, I had several make their homes on my porch last autumn, and this year one has already moved in. I somewhat romantically hope she's the daughter of Lorraine (my front porch Neoscona crucifera Spotted Orbweaver last year). I have christened her Henrietta.
An Evening Visitor
It's been pretty rainy lately, so the frogs and toads are a bit more visible! I watched a frog quickly hop into a storage shed at USM recently, but this little common toad was slightly more obliging in posing for a portrait when he visited my porch one evening.
More Houseplant Blooms!
I know there've been a lot of posts about my plants lately, but that's because they've been so happy! Here's my Mammillaria bocasana and Uncarina roeoesliana in flower.
Neofinetia Falcata Flowering
I can't take much of the credit for this, but an orchid I bought recently with partially grown flower buds has fully flowered! It's a Neofinetia falcata, which is apparently a very popular houseplant in Japan and was originally cultivated as such in the 1600's. I acquired it on a trip to Bird's Botanicals, a really cool orchid cave in Kansas City.
KCKPL South Branch Gallery Exhibition Press Release
in Articles, Exhibitions
I installed my solo exhibition at the KCKPL South Branch Gallery yesterday evening! USM's Marketing Department was kind enough to issue a press release on it (as well as on other recent shows). Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my digital camera along at installation so all I have is crappy cell phone imagery, but I'll definitely take some better photos before I deinstall.
LSU College of Art & Design Alumni Spotlight Article
in Articles
This was a nice surprise: recently the Louisiana State University College of Art & Design contacted me requesting to write up an Alumni Spotlight on me. Even as massive flooding was happening in the region, the lovely Communications Manager Angela Harwood wrote up this article entitled "Alumni Spotlight: Shelby Prindaville, MFA 2013" to be permanently available online but also to be included in their monthly e-newsletter Quad Mail which is distributed to over 5,000 alumni, friends, and media contacts.
Upcoming: Solo Exhibition at the Kansas Public Library South Branch Gallery
in Exhibitions
I've got a solo exhibition coming up next week! The Kansas City Kansas Public Library has booked me for a show at their South Branch Gallery. The exhibition will be titled Natural Narratives. I will be installing the show on Tuesday, September 6th at 6pm, so I'd probably start visiting it on Wednesday, September 7th despite an official opening date of September 6th.
Exhibition dates: September 6 - November 8, 2016
Location: South Library, 3104 Strong Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66106
Phone: 913-722-7400
Hours: 9-9 Mon-Thur & 9-5 Fri-Sat & 1-5 Sun
Neighborhood Yard Mushrooms
I like to walk to the local farmer's market, and on the way there's this yard that has some interesting fungi. I took some photos!
