Thursday, October 21, 2021

Bioluminescent Firefly Squid and some borbs

 A couple of other recent prints which actually came from the weird and wonderful AI-generated #Botober2021 art prompts for "Firefly squid" (a surprisingly normal suggestion for an actual existing animal) and "impossibly cute pudgy birds".


Firefly Squid, linocut, 8" x 8" by Ele Willoughby, 2021

This is a linocut print of the firefly squid (Watasenia scintillans), also called sparkling enope squid or hotaru-ika in Japan. These tiny squid live at depth (200 to 400 m) and they are bioluminescent and emit blue light from photophores. The print shows the squid against a white background so you can see the whole animal and then its reflection is shown against dark blue so you can see how its bioluminescence would appear underwater with fluorescent blue spots. Each print is 8" x 8" (20.3 cm x 20.3 cm) on white Japanese kozo (or mulberry) paper. When they spawn on the shores of Japan visitors come to see the blue glow and they are a boon to fishermen who collect the dying squid. 

 

Tufted titmouse linocut holiday card by Ele Willoughby, 2021

 

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