J.

Nature. Science. Art. Fantasy. art blog: smolspacecreature

[saturnvs]

fight

[prinnay]

Moving On.

[lleyksie]

horse shapes ✸

[adigitalsky]

I AM A HERON AND LIFE IS A RAINBOW TROUT CLASPED IN MY BEAK

[artsubrosa]

laniakea 🌑✨ print

returning to my horse girl roots since we’re nearing the year of the horse (my lunar zodiac sign!)

[maureen2musings]

Last rays in a snowy forest

niiloi

[emwheezie]

Formation of a black hole

[thegeekstressart]

You ever see something innocuous, minding its own business on the clearance shelf at Michael’s and before you know it, it takes over your life for a few weeks?

So it was with this desktop greenhouse.

I took it home and after taking an appropriate time to “season” my idea in my mind (read: a month or two) I set to make my vision of a mini botanical garden a reality.

I started by removing the heavy glass panels and building a raised floor above the latch. I wanted to use the base as a foundation on the building.

I wrapped the foundation in plastic stone textured flooring (meant for Christmas villages) and built a pond at one end of the same. I then gave it a more realistic paint job and designed a rough layout for my plants and displays.

I also knew I wanted to make the ironwork significantly more intricate, but I wasn’t sure how just yet…

Up next - PLANTS! I went wild making all kinds of plants. Some were specific species and some were more conceptual.

I made several trees with polymer clay and moss, cacti out of beads and flocking, cattails out of raffia, hot glue and coffee grounds, and giant monstera leaves out of paper and wire.

This part should have taken me a long time, but it really came together fast. I loved finding ways to replicate natural shapes and patterns using bits of this and that.

I did make adjustments to my plans as I went like eliminating benches in favor of a simpler overall design.

Then I needed to fill my pond with water. For this I used resin. Lily pads were added to the top layer, and I wired in simple LED fairy lights. The batteries are kept in the box under the foundation.

In a weekend frenzy I added more plants, metal (paper) steps, new (plexi)glass windows, a roof, wrought-iron vines (paper again), doors that open, and a hose reel disguising the latch. Suddenly, a project I thought would take months was finished…

I love my desktop botanical garden. Right now it sits on a simple lazy Susan in my office. But I’d love to get it a proper display box to protect from dust.

Thank you for coming on this little journey with me. This piece packs a lot of joy into a tiny space. I always love building miniatures, and I’ll be doing more in the future I’m sure.

[vintagewildlife]

Eggs of a golden-groined rain frog (Eleutherodactylus sp.) By: Michael Fogden From: Natural History Magazine 1989

[postingcards]

eastern oregon postmarked august 1, 1958

[znj]

[thebristolboard]

“The Militarization of the Police Department – Deadly Farce,” an original painting by Richard Williams from “The 20 Dumbest People, Events, and Things of 2014″ in Mad magazine #531, published by DC Comics, February 2015.

[spaceraptor]

Here’s the original, for comparison. And here’s a bit more about the artist and why he created the piece above for MAD Magazine.

[pennamerequired]

Richard Williams on Norman Rockwell:

“For most people, he was the painter of ‘America,’” he added. “But even he said his vision was what he wanted ‘America’ to be. It was a mythical ‘America,’ a place where all people were decent, honest and full of good will. His work was full of gentle humor that made you feel a little better; even if you knew it wasn’t really true… you just wished it was. My parody of Rockwell’s painting simply says, ‘That myth is dead.’”

[1-420-666-6969]

I think it’s relevant to add that even Norman Rockwell chose to leave his cushy job at the Saturday Evening Post because he wanted to make artwork that was more radical. The Post had rules that wouldn’t allow him to do artwork depicting black people as anything other than servants. The job paid really well and that was a huge reason he continued on. But he wanted change that and so he moved to Look magazine.

A lot of people know about the very first piece he did when he left the post which was the The Problem We All Live With which depicts Ruby Bridges walking to school under federal protection.

But I don’t think enough people know about Murder in Mississippi which depicts three real civil rights activists who were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan and sherriffs. The magazine ran the sketch instead of the finished piece because they felt it had a more striking statement to accompany the article. Norman Rockwell would finish that version after publication which is here

Rockwell’s legacy is sanitized because he decided to maintain his job at the Post for so long despite his frustrations with not being able to express himself. The civil rights movement was just his final straw to change what he could with the little time he had left. Look magazine received a lot of hate for Rockwell painting these as well.

Another favorite piece of mine is The Right to Know which depicts an integrated populace questioning their government. In 1968, the year of Vietnam and the year the Fair Housing Act only just got signed in months prior:

But I think it’s important to include the caption Rockwell originally wrote for the piece as well. I think it represents how a 74 year old Rockwell felt about the America he believed in and the people in it:

We are the governed, but we govern too. Assume our love of country, for it is only the simplest of self-love. Worry little about our strength, for we have our history to show for it. And because we are strong, there are others who have hope. But watch us more closely from now on, for those of us who stand here mean to watch those we put in the seats of power. And listen to us, you who lead, for we are listening harder for the truth that you have not always offered us. Your voice must be ours, and ours speaks of cities that are not safe, and of wars we do not want, of poor in a land of plenty, and of a world that will not take the shape our arms would give it. We are not fierce, and the truth will not frighten us. Trust us, for we have given you our trust. We are the governed, remember, but we govern too.

[batboyblog]

I’d just like to briefly say even Rockwell’s seemingly feel good Americana pieces are often more political than people today realize for example

likely the most famous picture of a Thanksgiving dinner ever painted and you see it all the time.

What you may not know is its actual title

“Freedom From Want” it’s a part of a series of 4, including this now famous meme

“Freedom of Speech” These paintings were illustrations of FDR’s “Four Freedoms” speech where The President laid out a vision that would become what the Allies were fighting for in WWII universal human rights that became a part of the UN charter.

So this homey American Thanksgiving scene was also a bold statement that no one in the world should go hungry

Rockwell’s work was very political, he used that Americana small town America vibe of his work to make what he was saying feel very close to the viewers he was trying to reach and also his optimism of the human spirt but for sure not blind to the need to build a better world.

[polkadotmotmot]

Pavel Fedorov - Axis of the Storm, 2025 - Oil on canvas

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Omnibus brevis ultima multis, Photoshop illustration by Vincenzo Lamolinara

[idlelizard]

curious creature🐇🦌

[norapotwora]

Hey folks, reservations for 2026 commissions are officially open!

-> CLICK HERE <-

I don’t open commissions very often, so October 21st–27th is a rare chance to reserve your spot without having to wait for the next round.

There are nine types of commissions available in the offer, such as:

decorative pet poster

decorative animal poster

fantasy creature poster

classic pet

classic animal

noodlize me

noodlize me 2.0

full illustration

tattoo design

Swipe to see some examples and check out my profile for more! To claim a slot, just simply fill the google form - link in my BIO.

Also if you have any questions, don't hestitate to ask!

I’d also truly appreciate it if you could help spread the word about this opening, since my reach has been quite limited lately. Thank you in advance!

[norapotwora]

Today is the last chance to grab a slot!

[lavendercowboyart]

Be it by accident, carelessness, or intention, humans have driven an uncountable number of species to extinction.

There was a time when Reunion giant tortoise (Cylindraspis indica) herds dominated an island in the Indian ocean. The curious and friendly behavior of these gentle giants made them easily hunted, introduced invasive species decimated any future generation, and they were met with extinction in the 1800s.

A large relative to the pigeon, the Dodo (Raphus cucullatus) was a turkey-sized flightless bird endemic to a small island east of Madagascar. The Dodo’s fearlessness towards humans allowed for easy and heavy hunting. The first record of the Dodo was penned in 1598 and not even 65 years later - by 1662 - the species was believed to be lost.

Curious, gentle, and nearly 3x the size of a manatee, Steller’s sea cows (Hydrodamalis gigas) were never recorded to have caused damage to the ships ruthlessly hunting them. Though populations were already in decline, the Steller’s sea cow went extinct within 27 years of European discovery.

The Falkland Islands wolf (Dusicyon australis), like the others, was similarly curious and fearless of humans. This trusting behavior was easily exploited and used to lure the small canids to an accelerated extinction.

It is a shame how the most gentle are often the most easily exploited. The loss is unquantifiable.