Tiger Claw Necklace

Tiger Claw Necklace
India, c. 1865



 In
Nineteenth Century India, a tiger’s claws were considered to be
powerful charms against evil. They were frequently used as amulets.
Visitors to India, especially the British, found this custom charming
and started to bring tiger claw amulets back to Britain as souvenirs. By
the middle of the century, with a growing market, makers of tiger claw
charms branched out into more elaborate pieces such as this one.

It
was clearly made for the British market. The design is very similar to
the shape and form of European jewelry. This particular necklace was
exhibited at the Paris International Exhibition in 1867. Ten tiger claws
of graded size have been set in engraved gold. The claws are linked by
chains and the whole piece hangs from a gold snake. 

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Insect Necklace

Made
of jasper, gold and agate, this woven necklace boasts a Milanese chain
of hollow eliptical sections and three carved hard stone pendants. A gold
frog, in relied, adorns the box clasp. 



The piece was made in Italy in
the late Nineteenth Century by Giacinto Melillo who was known for his
jewels made on ancient designs.



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The year of the owl

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Like cats?

Instructions at Polish You Pretty

Art by Andy Singleton

Andy Singleton is
a paper artist and illustrator based in Wakefield, England.



 His
work is an exploration of the natural and man made world through
intricate paper cuttings, paper sculpture and hand drawn illustrations.

Andy has produced work for variety of clients, including the Crafts
Council, Liberty, Hermés, Kensington Palace, Seifried and Mack, DDB
Australia, The Hepworth and Lazerian, producing varied work for site
specific installations, window displays, illustration, brand graphic,
apparel and interiors.



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Pet Portraits by Joy Malin

Joy Malin is an artist who has created many pet portraits over the past three years and has gained recognition for her work by The New York Times.



Joy is dedicated to providing health care for dogs and donates a percentage of her income from pet portraits to animal rescue organizations.



Visit Joy's website to see some of her past animal portraits, and consider ordering a Holiday Pet Portrait if you're looking for a great holiday gift.

Franco Matticchio Illustration

Franco Mattichio is a painter, comics artist and illustrator from
Varese, Italy. He published his first works in Corriere della Sera in 1979. Animals are consistent inhabitants of Matticchio's unpredictable and humorous universe. 

This is one of my favorites of his work, because it's exactly what my house could look like. 

(click photo to see larger)

More examples at 50 Watts



Frequent postings at Animalarium

Women as insects : Insectes

Photographer and graphic designer Laurent Seroussi has combined the beauty of the human female form with the bodies of insects.



Visit the Artist's website to see more.




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Wearable taxidermy

Taxidermy Brown Mouse Brooch

This is a wearable piece of taxidermy - a preserved brown mouse with a
pink, delicate bow tied to her tail and a dainty gold pin backing. She
is about 2 inches tall. (Now features thin leather ears for greater
durability).

Each taxidermy item that Precious Creature Taxidermy
creates is one of a kind and special, as it commemorates a precious and
perfect life a creature had in this world. Each animal's shape and
essence is taken into account in the mounting process, as no animal is
the same.



Yes! You CAN buy one for yourself! Etsy

Art by Kevin Sloan

The Burden of Formality



Prices for original paintings range from $2,200 to $30,000.Visit Kevin Sloan's website to see more.

Julie Manet with cat

Pierre-Auguste Renoir - Julie Manet with cat (1887)



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Animals from thrift store plastics

Did you ever feel guilty throwing away plastic items? Plastic spoons, spatulas, clips, plates?



Artist Sayaka Ganz is rescuing discarded plastic and shaping it into animal sculptures.

See more at the artist's website.



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30 dogs in 30 days

Here's an ambitious project: paint a picture every day for 30 days. Think it doesn't sound that hard? Ok, make the subject of each day's picture a dog. Not the same dog. A different dog each day.



I think the toughest part may be finding 30 dogs. How many people know 30 dogs?



Kat Corrigan must know a lot of dogs, so she set out to paint a portrait of a different dog each day for the month of July 2012.



What do you think, was she successful? Were all 30 painted?

July 1st subject:



Dakota, a shepard mix who lives in Becker, MN, with a number of sheep,
chickens, and cows, and who delights all she meets with her
irrepressible grin!  Here she is featured lying in her pool, a favorite
place in the heat.





visit Kat Corrigan's website and follow each day's posting  .... 





 to ....

 ta-da ...



July 31!



Pepper, the last dog.



She did it! Congratulations, Kat.

Congratulations, also, for the inclusion of Tyler Foote.



This handsome pup belongs to Moira McLaughlin who publishes  Dog Art Today - a place where artists, dog lovers, and dog-art
lovers can connect with each other, promote their work, and find
inspiration.

Hey, I just met you

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Gigantic plastic fish

An art installation on Botafogo Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil shows
three gigantic fishes made from discarded plastic bottles. The
sculptures were created to raise awareness for the recently completed
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, dubbed Rio+20. The
slogan on a sign beside the installation translates to “recycle your
attitude”.

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Royal chick

Chick

Made for Queen Alexandra


Crown Copyright

The Royal Collection

Image Courtesy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II



Henrik Emanuel Wigström
(1862-1923) of Fabergé created this sweet little chalcedony chick in
1907. The eyes are set with cabochon rubies and she stands on chased red
gold feet.

This was part of the famed Sandringham Commission
wherein King Edward VII asked Fabergé to create a host of little,
precious animals to add to Queen Alexandra’s growing menagerie of
expensive barnyard friends. 





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Fishy music

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Clarissa and her puppy

Titian, Portrait of Clarissa Strozzi



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Art history

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Sparkly fish

A cookie cutter in the shape of a fish was used to create the fish shape, cut out of felt. Sewing of the fish is quick to do but it will take a bit of
time to stitch on the sequins.



Instructions