Gallery

Sarina Brewer's North Woods Chimera.jpg

According to Homer, the Chimera from ancient Greek legend had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a serpent for a tail. The fire-breathing monster was said to have terrorized the Lycians of Asia Minor before being slain by Bellerophon.

In contemporary usage, the word chimera has lost its ferocity and refers to a mere illusion, an unrealistic fancy, a wild fabrication of the mind. The scientific meaning, however, highlights the ancient beast’s genetic fusion: a chimera incorporates the genomes of more than one organism. For example, a bough from a peach tree graphed onto the stalk of a plum tree could be termed a chimera if both peaches and plums flourished on their separate limbs.

Sarina Brewer’s North Woods Chimera is rather more provocative: three vulture heads sprouting from the body of a cat. Using only roadkill, donations from veterinarians, discarded livestock, and other already deceased animals, Brewer views her work as a form of resurrection by endowing carcasses and animal remains with a new life and a disturbing beauty. Co-founder of the Minnesota Association of Rogue Taxidermists along with Scott Bibus and Robert Marbury, Brewer aims to expand the imaginative possibilities of taxidermy by manipulating and transgressing the limits of the natural world. "I call it art,” Brewer states, “you can call it whatever you want." go to Brewer's website +

Fur-bearing Trout

Prof. Burnaby Q. Orbax's fur-bearing trout. According to Orbax's website, the species is "native only to the most Northern parts of Canada and the United States, where the cold water currents require the fish to grow a peach-like fuzz around areas of their body with little blood circulation. These furry coats 'molt' prior to the spring thaw, and therefore spotting a furred trout is a rare occurence. This specimen was caught by an ice fisherman in Gaspe."

http://www.fiendishcuriosities.com/viewitem.php?selectItem=34

Two Headed Rabbit

Thomas Grünfeld's Misfits

Thomas Grünfeld's anomalous creations are some of the strangest and most surreal of contemporary taxidermy. The creatures from his appropriately titled Misfit series are composed of bits and pieces of animals, all flawlessly sewn together to create entirely new species: a doberman pincher with a calf's head, a beast combining monkey and parrot, another creature, part mule, part giraffe, part ostrich.

Thomas Grünfeld's Misfits

Thomas Grunfeld's Misfits

Wolpertingers at Work

Two Bavarian Wolpertingers caught in the act. I make no other comments.

Imagea from: http://homepages.fh-regensburg.de/~mem33358/CubeCart%202.0.0/upload/view_product.php?product=002%20-%20001

Wolpertinger

The Wolpertinger is typically found in the alpine forests of Bavaria in Germany. Whether it is related to the American Jackalope and the Swedish Skvader is yet unknown. Image taken from Wikipedia.

gastorbass.jpg

The elusive gastorbass sighted in New Orleans.

Wind-Up Crocodile

Taxidermist & sculptor Lisa Black combines taxidermy with working gears and other mechanical contraptions including a wind-up baby crocodile. See more of her work here +

Wind-Up Crocodile

Taxidermist & sculptor Lisa Black combines taxidermy with working gears and other mechanical contraptions including a wind-up baby crocodile. See more of her work here +

Wind-Up Crocodile

Taxidermist & sculptor Lisa Black combines taxidermy with working gears and other mechanical contraptions including a wind-up baby crocodile. See more of her work here +

Mechanical Deer

Taxidermist & sculptor Lisa Black combines taxidermy with working gears and other mechanical contraptions including a wind-up baby crocodile. See more of her work here +