I couldn't have done this if the bug wasn't pretty in its own right. . . When I decided to enter the insect show, I first went through and looked at photos of insects to find one that the site of which did not make me itch. After finding the winning candidate - the ominous North American Assassin Bug - I found the characteristics that I wanted to exploit. In this case it was the garish menacing impression the bug made. After I decided on the expression of the painting, the Acrylic on Canvas became less about the bug itself and more about a garish composition suggestive of the insect.