ELSEWHERE

A polar bear with something to say...

 

Did you know that…
 
During the ice age a dry, frigid grassland known as the mammoth steppe stretched east and north from forested Europe. The largest single habitat on land, it extended from what is now central France to Alaska… Woolly mammoth, woolly rhino, bison, musk ox, giant elk and horse abounded there in a climate far harsher than today’s.

Neither did I until I read Here on Earth by Tim Flannery.

I am a huge fan of Mr Flannery. I think his work is most impressive and his commitment noble.

Flannery’s The Weather Makers concentrated on the science of Climate Change, whereas Here on Earth: An Argument For Hope balances science with an argument for hope (as title suggests) in the light of the Copenhagen Summit in 2009 and the worlds collective failure to move forward.

I found this book most stimulating and was reminded that if people like Mr Flannery have not given up hope then neither should I. Humans are capable of immense love and beauty, we also have many of the solutions to our problems, so all we need is to act decisively and urgently. Surely, this is not impossible.

After all, if Attine ants are able to sustain an agricultural system more sophisticated than humans…
 
The fungus the ants grow, for example, has been cultivated by them for so long that it now exists nowhere else. The same is true of specialised bacteria that produce fungicides to destroy competing fungi and which are found only in special pocket-shaped crevices on the ant’s bodies. In terms of agricultural sustainability, the ants provide an enviable model.
 
Then anything is possible.

A Coral-billed ground cuckoo (Carpococcyx renauldi)

It is Friday afternoon and I think it is time to sit by the open window and draw for a few hours. Hope your Friday is equally swell.

An Emerald Dove and a Polar Bear (Chalcophaps indica & Ursus maritimus)

I have two new zines/small artists’ books almost ready to share. They will be in my new Drawn series, like my Quadrupeds drawn from London's Natural History Museum collection. Can you guess what they feature?
 
Sticky are having a zine fair in mid February at which Gracia and I will have a table, so you will be able to see them then, and you will be able to see them on Gracia and my store a little before that.
 
Also, a lovely review on zine hamster, for you to see and read this Sunday evening.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all, albeit half way through January! I meant to pop back here a week or so ago, but my nose has been in Crime and Punishment followed by Solo and now The Picture of Dorian Gray. When not reading, I have been drawing, drawing, drawing. Such January joys! There is nothing better than summer days spent enjoying these two pleasures. Although it has not been so summery here, and it looks a nightmare further north. (Here is a link or two if you would like to help with the Queensland flood relief.)
 
Also, our Siamese Omar has been unwell. There were times when Gracia and I thought he would not see much of the New Year. However, after several visits to his brilliant vet and new medicine, his internal systems are working again and he seems very happy with his lot.