To me, Nature is God. Without it, we simply would not exist. Conserving the world’s natural spaces and the creatures that live there is paramount to the survival of humans as a species, and I have therefore dedicated my life to studying environmentalism in order to help people co-exist more successfully and sustainably with the natural world.
All natural materials I use in my creations are either sourced from roadkill, Fish and Game, secondhand sources such as fellow artists and estate sales, or are antique. In this way, I'm ensuring that no animals were needlessly killed for the sake of the artwork I produce. I fully believe that no part of any creature should go to waste if a purpose can be found for it, but I do NOT support trophy hunters or overseas fur farms by buying 'byproducts' like bones, skulls, or claws directly from them. The only exception I make for this rule is for parts from animals legally culled for population control programs approved by Fish and Wildlife.
As a photographer and wildlife enthusiast, I've been involved with many fantastic organizations such as Images4Life and Wild Tiger, as well as the Sierra Club and many smaller, local groups.
I've been published, interviewed, and even featured on Rainn Wilson (Dwight from “The Office”)'s personal networking website, SoulPancake.com.
I’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to visit many of the world’s most amazing wild places, like Komodo Island, Bali, Lombok, Malaysia, and the Cayman Islands, and have even documented entirely new species previously unknown to science.
Other interests include: Wilderness survival, primitive skills, backpacking, fishing, kayaking, boffing, airsoft, snowboarding, meandering around town, and caving.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
New coyote on the way! I have an affinity for unusually-pigmented yotes, and this guy is one of my ‘holy grail’ finds: A brindle coyote.
Most of the unusual coyotes I get are coywolves (a cross between a coyote and a wolf), but this may very well be an actual coydog (coyote + dog).
Coydogs are exceptionally rare given that DNA studies done on hundreds coyotes showed only 3% with even trace amounts of dog DNA in their systems. Most were either pure yote or showed signs of distant hybridization with wolves.
Note: I did not kill this animal, nor did I buy it from anyone who did. This is a tanned hide which cannot return to the earth as is natural, thus an alternative use must be found for it. It will likely become a headdress.
(Source: NaturePunk.deviantart.com)
Fast-moving lava from ancient eruptions created this extensive underground cave system at an undisclosed location in Washington State.
My friend Andrew has been to this system many times before, and he lead the way through with only a kerosene lantern.
Photography by NaturePunk.
(Source: confessionsofalostlove)
Painted Hills, Oregon - Not far from where I did my wilderness survival training!
(Source: terrestrial-noesis)
Video footage of the male golden eagle sitting on the nest I discovered in Redmond, Oregon. This has been one of the most amazing discoveries I’ve ever made on a wilderness hike. Also, check out that beautiful terrain! That alone is reason enough to climb up such a cliff-side despite my mild fear of heights.
(Source: youtube.com)
The Eyes of Nature by NaturePunk
Skull by ~villasukka
Watkins Glen State Park in New York.
Photography by NaturePunk.
Going to Start Making Some Real Knives.
Taxidermy-inspired knives, that is!
I’m starting out with some stainless steel blades to see how well the knives sell.
If they sell well, I’ll move on to carbon and Damascus steel. Those will naturally be more expensive on account of the fact that the metal costs more to make and requires more work. But they’ll be of higher quality and look more epic than ever.
This first run will consist of two knives, each with a different blade style.
The first is a double-edged spear-point blade measuring about 5” long (legal to carry in public in Oregon, but maybe not California). It’ll have a preserved deer hoof handle.
The second is small game field skinner with a handy little 3” blade. This one will have a coyote legbone handle.
Can’t wait to set to work on these. Let me know if you’re interested in custom makes in advance, too!
We sat cross-legged on the mattress, half-naked and high enough to pick a fight with God. My housemate had given us a wonderful box as a welcome home present for Bear and I to share. She said the box contained just enough magic to get us tripping, but not enough to reduce us to vegetables. I let Bear have a little more than me, since he’s bigger than I am.
It was the first time for both of us. And, as with any nature-derived, mind-altering substance, I approached the experience with an educated, open mind. Slowly, the two of us drifted into a state of elevated consciousness as the magic took hold, and soon, we were deep in colorful conversation.
It was wild. As a born synesthete, I see colors all around me anyway. Music, letters, numbers, and all manner of unrelated stimuli produce colors in my brain. So when I entered the altered state of mind, I experienced something of a sensory overload. It was hard to let go of myself then. I worried about where I’d end up.
But with Bear beside me, nonchalantly convincing himself that he was an actor in a movie, and that I was both the audience and the director, I let lose a little.
I saw a coyote walk out of the wall in the corner of the room. My cat’s stripes began undulating like ripples of water. I saw personality colors for all the pelts within a five-foot radius of the bed. Part of me was convinced that the Attic was floating through space. And every time I closed my eyes, I saw pyramids with bricks made of bright colors stacked on top of one-another, creating a bizarre fractal of pyramids which reminded me of an Alex Grey painting.
Bear suddenly stopped mid-sentence and clasped my face between his broad hands, and exclaimed, “OH MY GOD, YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL!”
He drew my face to his, but we didn’t kiss. Instead, we stared into one-anothers’ eyes, and in that moment, I lost my breath completely.
I saw the universe. It was pure gold, and teal, and plum purple, and azure blue, swirling and glittering with planets, suns, and galaxies of all manner. Clouds of light dotted with diamond stars erupted before my vision, and I realized after what seemed like hours that all of it was coming from Bear.
As if by some invisible signal, we both pulled away from one-another’s grasp then and grinned. “I - I saw the universe in your eyes,” I announced, somewhat dumbfounded.
“I know,” Bear replied excitedly. “I saw it in yours, too…”
It was the most beautiful moment I’ve experienced in years.
Photography by Traer Scott featuring reflections of curious people as they enjoy taxidermy mounts and dioramas at the Natural History Museum.
