natural history unfolding

Well the glass surface was certainly popular with diners. Not much of the spreading paint around as they were more inclined just to devour everything methodically. But this is just a test piece anyway to see how it looks if they uncover their own natural history by their real-life actions.

I felt especially close to the dude whose enthusiastic gorging dyed her head red, watching me with one eye.

natural history

you can guess where I'm going with this, can't you.

later still

Another night, another bite. This time repainted with the coloured veggie mashes mixed with skimmed milk powder (everybody's favourite) , gum arabic (oh yes, actual paint) and Herman friendship cake dough (full of wild yeasts).

So here we have the guests arriving promptly for dinner, and a lovely homage to Van Gogh.

Note the decided preference for the paint over the delicious bit of cucumber. Now I'm not doing these cross-species collaborations for vindication of my own practice as a painter-in-watercolours at a time when it was neither popular nor profitable, but I must say I'm pleased about it.

propogation

Now we wait... I'm hoping these will establish different zones of bacteria, algae, and fungae.

I'm looking for a modern take on our national anthem, Ilkley Moor bar-t'at: "Then slugs shall come and ate up microbes..." at which point a hedgehog or similar edible species could be introduced into the food chain, eventually allowing me in a round-about way to eat my own paintings, which of course is what every painter really wants more than anything.

No I'm not, that's a lie. Actually all I want is to have some nice gentle take-it-or-leave-it interactions with whoever is up for it.

...later

I think they are Limacus flavus. And very nice. I am enjoying their unhurried itinerant curiosity and their calm voraciousness. Have completely got over the overnight decimation of the job-lot of marigolds I got from B&Q last year which were supposed to cheer up the shared drying green but just made it look like a Paul Nash painting.

They liked the oatmeal so much they took some of the top of the paper off while they were at it. So next time more protein, more starches, complex carbohydrates for my molluscy friends.

drawing with slugs

Thought it was high time for another sluggy collaboration. This is some nice watercolour paper painted with carrot, beetroot and red pepper juices, also macerated spinach, oatmeal, honey and turmeric.

I put the picture out in the yard at 11.00 p.m. , people started turning up at around midnight.