mouse has a nap.

022508ac1
Originally uploaded by megan_n_smith_99

one of the new watercolors i have been working on. i am almost happy with it! i have been inspired lately by both ernst haeckle and beatrix potter. on the face of it that made no sense. ernst was a biologist and beatrix potter was a children's book author. but actually, having just finished her bio: beatrix potter: a life in nature by linda lear, i have come to realize beatrix potter was a quite a respected amature naturalist -- though sadly for her a lot of the respect comes after her death. in victorian times women were not exactly discouraged from studying nature, but she took it a bit beyond painting flowers.

beatrix actually scientifically collected, experimented, and even wrote a scientific paper proposing that lichen was a symbiosis of algae and a fungus. this paper was presented to the linnaean society, though pretty much ignored. but lo -- beatrix was right! she also did many very fine illustrations of various fungus and mushrooms that are still used by scientists today and which have been used to illustrate scientific texts on fungi.

later in life she lived on her farm where she displayed a considerable talent for land management and animal husbandry. she worked hard at developing the bloodlines of her beloved herdwick sheep, and in generally doing all she could to preserve the culture of fell farming -- seeking to preserve the land, houses, furniture, livestock bloodlines, folktakes, etc. on her death she left 4000 acres to national trust!

so, being an artist and a scientist is a highly respected endeavor, and i only hope my own little watercolor sketches can do some justice to the tradition!

(a little background, as i mentioned in another entry, i studied science in school, geology, paleontology, biology, etc. i also grew up on a sheep farm on vashon island, in puget sound, which is in washington state. needless to say, i adore animals.)

p.s. if you have not seen it, the film miss potter is quite fun, though you will learn much more about her reading a biography! still, i really enjoyed that movie and it would be good for the entire family.