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MOLLUSKS
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Wood, Glazing Putty, and Acrylic Paint
Vertebrate Museum, California State University, Chico
1995
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The Vertibrate Museum
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In 1995 I was the semi-official artist in residence for the Vertebrate Museum in the Biology Department at California State University, Chico. I was working on a series of watercolors of North American birds. Every weekday I would meet Dr. Ray Barnett at his office and we would walk down the hall to the museum. Once inside he would unlock the metal cabinets of bird study skins so I could retrieve the Prairie Falcon, Puffin, or California Quail I was working from at the time.
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I had a designated corner of a long counter under a large picture window. The counter was lined with microscopes and in the very corner was a glass case full of bird's nests. Behind me were cabinets with their tops covered with Polar Bear, Mountain Lion, and Stellar Sea Lion skulls and various pelts. This was my painting studio for three years.
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Gastropoda
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It was near the end of this period that Ray approached me about a special project. The museum had a spectacular collection of seashells and he wanted to highlight the exhibit. He asked me if I would consider fabricating models of nudibranchs and other Mollusks. My first response was "what is a nudibranch?"
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This began my education into the world of mollusks and specifically the class of gastropoda. Not only did I learn that nudibranchs are more commonly and perhaps unjustly known as "sea slugs", they are among the most beautiful creatures on the planet. The class gastropoda also includes the snails that inhabited the shells in the collection as well as land snails and slugs.
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Ray wanted me to fabricate models of two species of nudibranch, Hermisenda and Chromodoris. In addition, I was to fabricate the snails that lived in select shells from the collection, if possible performing a life function. This is when I became enchanted by the highly specialized functions of these creatures. I learned that Murex Snails have a proboscis that extends like an elephant's trunk that "drills" into its bivalve prey. I learned that a Cone Snail captures its fish prey with a proboscis that explodes out like a car airbag that contains a poison harpoon. This harpoon is the equivalent of a rattlesnake bite to a human.
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The project required a lot of research. Kathy and I traveled to Punta Gorda on California's Lost Coast for a low tide weekend to look for nudibranchs. We observed Sea Lemons and a Crimson Doris. Years later I finally saw a Hermisenda at Sculptured Beach at Point Reyes.
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Fabricating the models was challenging. I carved the bodies from cherry wood and used architectural glazing putty for the parts with curves that went against the wood grain. The finished carvings were then painted with acrylic. Making the snails ooze out of the channels in the shells presented a special challenge. In all, we fabricated six models.
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The three years I spent in the Vertebrate Museum were formative and rewarding. Ray Barnett has remained an important friend over the years.
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