Radiolaria
Radiolarians (or radiolaria) are a type of tiny creature -amoeboid protozoa - which produce mineral skeletons. They occur as zooplankton throughout the oceans and their tiny skeletal remains can be used as diagnostic fossils to date submarine sediments.
I carved this linoleum block illustrating four radiolarians of the of the spyroidea family for the Mad Scientists of Etsy August challenge on the theme of microbiology. They were inspired by the scientific illustrations of famed German biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834 to 1919). His book "Kunstformen der Natur" (Artforms in Nature) helped foster the Victorian mania for cabinets of curiosity and palour microsopy.
I am fascinated by unsual wildlife, as can be seen by the selected subjects for my prints. These creature certainly fit the bill!
The prints are mad in an edition of 20 on scarlet Japanese washi paper made with gampi fibres. They are printed with environmentally-friendly white water-based ink. Each print is 6" wide and 7.5" tall (15.3 cm by 19 cm).
