2013 World Taxidermy Championships
If you are in Springfield, Illinois right now, count me incredibly jealous: the 2013 World Taxidermy and Fish Carving Championships started yesterday and run through the weekend. The WTC is the olympic equivalent of competitive animal preparation, and the event offers the sculptors and artists the opportunity to showcase their work, view advancements in taxidermy technology, and appreciate one another’s efforts over the last year. There are competitions for every division from Youth and Novice, to achievements in Freeze-Drying, and - of course - the Master Division, where the winner is awarded a $4,000 prize, some amazing live-mount eyes by Karl Lange and Tohickon (like the Rolls-Royce of glass-blown, hand-crafted eyes), and the honor of knowing you created the most beautiful taxidermy mount in the world.
There’s also the honorable Carl Akeley award granted to the sculptor who can best exhibit that, indeed, wildlife taxidermy is a valid form of art, and the practice is still alive and well today.
About the images:
Lowell Shapley keel-billed toucan won the Carl E. Akeley Award in 2011.
Ken Walker’s panda was awarded Best in Show in the Recreations category - the ‘panda’ is actually comprised of the dyed skins of multiple American black bear specimens, seeing as how giant pandas are protected.
Dennis Harris - “Air Zebra” Lion and zebra won Best in World at the 2009 WTC. The lioness is only supported in one area, where her tail touches the arm of the zebra. If that isn’t an incredible feat in animal engineering, I don’t know what is.
Contact1: An Extraterrestial City made of 200,000 LEGO Bricks by Mike Doyle
It’s important that you understand that this is not a game.
As much as you want it to be a game, it is not.
Marc Anthony is lying on a cot. But he isn’t lying about not playing games.
“But aren’t games meant to be played?”
No. No they are not.
I’ve been made into a gif with nearly no shame.
I took a 7 week coast to coast road trip after being laid off from Boeing. I didn’t have a camper but realized that being able to pull off the road at a rest or truck stop was the way to go to make the trip affordable. With a few sheets of 1/2” plywood and misc. hardware this is what I came up with. The effort was well worth the time and materials.
The Chaperone (in-production)
Colouring process screen-cap from upcoming motion picture animation by ThoroughBread pictures.
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