This piece takes a look at the specific anatomy of the order Coleoptera. The name itself means "sheath-winged" and refers to the hardened forewings (elytra) that protect the delicate, usually paper-thin, wings that are folded beneath.

There are more than 300,000 species of beetle that have been found and described, which means that there are more types of beetle on earth than anything else that falls under the Animalia kingdom.

I am in love with beetles. They are magnificent creatures that I like to think of as organic machines. Not just because there are so many of them, but because they are so specialized.

This piece is honestly my favorite of my beetle pieces because it covers the very frame work of these amazing insects. Each limb and apparatus is labeled, and examples of the variety of Coleoptera are splashed about. The color pattern and the circle are bright and grab attention. It's fun-to-look-at anatomy.,P>

It hung on my boyfriend's wall in Arizona for a long time, and every single time someone saw it for the first time (even the second or the third), they would have to walk up to it and spend time looking it over. Mixed media-- a combination of clippings, oil pastel, charcoal and graphite.

Not available for sale at this time.