Books are the perfect Christmas present, and assuming we don’t get a repeat of last year’s poor showing from the Royal Mail this issue of Black Static might just arrive in time to assist you in deciding what to purchase for your near and dear ones. Alternatively, if it does arrive late then remember that, just like a cute and cuddly kitten, books are not just for Christmas, but can be the gift that keeps on giving.

And while we’re on the subject of kittens, imagine a centre page spread, two round eyed fluffy white kittens perched innocently over their latest kill, with red streamers of intestine falling from their mouths, and on the leg of one is an armband that at first looks like Nazi regalia, though closer inspection reveals a spider in lieu of a swastika. Imagine two sallow skinned mermaids, with spindle arms and hair like windblown bracken, canine teeth and tails that stretch off in serpentine coils. Imagine a nurse, with clockwork mechanisms in place of an eye, a hatchet and scythe like pincers clutched in appendages that resemble paws more than they do human hands, or a woman with curling horns, the skin of her arm unravelled like bloody thread to reveal the bone beneath. Imagine a monocle clad Lord Charles with an albino Suicide Girl homunculus seated on his lap.

All these grotesques and more can be found between the covers of TAXIDERMIED: THE ART OF ROMAN DIRGE (Titan Books hardback, 112pp, £24.99), conveniently arranged in sections variously classified as ‘Sketches’, ‘Artwork’, ‘Scarytales’, ‘Monster!’ and ‘Funny Bone’. The creator and chronicler of the adventures of Lenore, the Cute Little Dead Girl, Dirge is an artist with a distinctive style, though you can find in his work echoes of Patrick Woodroffe’s vibrant eclecticism, the black comedy of Charles Addams, surrealists such as Ernst, and perhaps most appositely the chimerical monster bubble gum cards that were a staple of my youth. He brings to the table his own aesthetic sensibility and vision of the macabre, working with a muted palette, one in which browns and whites, greys and blacks predominate, with brighter colours coming into play only when a splash of blood is needed. The end result is something that could easily be nightmarish, but stops just short thanks to the warped comedy woven into the visual language of every canvas (and emphasised by the self-mocking captions Dirge provides to accompany the illustrations), most obviously in the final section when the artist’s humour comes into full play with a series of pictures that have about them the quality of ‘sick’ jokes (e.g. a poster of a missing cat juxtaposed with a picture of road kill).

Filled with black and white illustrations and full colour work, including several double page spreads, Taxidermied is a showcase volume for an unusual talent, one that won’t appeal to everyone but should reward the expectations of those who delight in the macabre and blackly comedic.

Taxidermy, simply put, is the reconstruction of deceased animals, birds, mammals, fish, and reptiles for educational and representational purposes. Evolved from the Greek words ‘taxi’ meaning arrangement and ‘dermy’ meaning skin, taxidermy, popularly known as ‘stuffing’ of an animal is the art of preserving, tanning and mounting the skin of a deceased animal onto a sculpted model. The job of a taxidermist is to create life-like figures of animals using their skin and bones that are in turn used for educational purposes or as models for research. Taxidermied animals are usually victims of road accidents or illnesses. Dr Santosh A Gaikwad, one of India’s few practicing wildlife taxidermists and associate professor of anatomy explains, “In India, as per the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, taxidermy of wildlife can only be done for educational purposes. However, domestic animals, usually kept as pets can be taxidermied.”

JOB PROFILE
Typically, the job of a taxidermist involves removing the skin, create a duplicate body structure, design artificial eyes and teeth, and put them all together to make it look real and alive. “Since the eyes and other organs cannot be preserved, taxidermists are required to make artificial eyes using glass balls. These glass balls are equally cut into two, and painted on the even sides to make the eyes. The teeth are made using dental acrylic since the original teeth tend to go brittle in a few months. The complete taxidermy process takes anywhere between a week to a year to complete, depending upon the size and condition of the deceased animal. A taxidermied specimen usually lasts for over 80 years,” details Gaikwad.

SKILL SETS
A taxidermy professional is required to be well versed with five major skills – Cobbler art, sculpturing, painting, carpentry and anatomy. Apart from these, interest in natural history and wildlife, artistic skill, a keen eye for detail, agility and fitness, the will to work alone, and patience is a must.

COURSE CONNECT
Taxidermy, as a career is usually pursued by animal lovers who are qualified veterinarians. “A graduate (BVSc), or a masters in veterinary science (MVSc) can help kick start a career in Taxidermy. Students could also take up a diploma in veterinary science and animal husbandry after HSC (science). Since these courses acquaint students with dissection and anatomy, it usually students of veterinary medicine who pursue this career path. Basic courses in painting and sculpting will also come handy,” says Gaikwad.

PAY PACKAGE
There is a growing demand for taxidermists across the country from various government agencies and institutes. “As a fresher, one can earn Rs 20,000 – Rs 25,000 per month. The fee of taxidermy varies with experience. Taxidermy fees are usually depends on the kind of animal, the size, structure and time frame given,” shares Gaikwad.

INSTITUTE INDICATOR

• Bombay Veterinary College
• Nagpur Veterinary College
• Maharashtra Animal and Fisheries Sciences University, Nagpur
• Apollo College of Veterinary Science, Rajasthan
• Rajiv Gandhi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Puducherry
• KNP College of Veterinary and Animal Science Shirwal
• College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Udgir

*indicative listing

Some of the images in this post can be considered to be quite graphic (skinned rabbit, fresh meat, bones), so please be warned about scrolling down.

Before this, I never practiced my skills on a rabbit before, so this was a great way for me to extend my practice a little, also with trying out a new tanning acid recipe, which in the end turned out to be really great! I decided to tan the skin and use it as a cover for the bottom of my cabinet of curiosities, so the other skulls and shells would have a nice, warm and fluffy environment to be displayed on. I was thinking for a moment to mount the rabbit, but since it died from an intestinal infection and some parts of the skin at his bottom started to become too rotten to work with, I decided to just tan the remaining skin and also to save the skeleton.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture anymore of the rabbit when it was still alive or intact, but I do have plenty of others of the taxidermy process.

So, let’s start with the gross ones! ^^

The rabbit after removing the skin. I decided to remove the skin until just below the waste, because of the rabbit’s intestinal infection. I cut off the feet and put them in a 96% alcohol solution for about an hour to get rid of possible bacteria.

The rabbit skin after taking it off the rabbit, turned inside out.

The rabbit skin after taking it off the rabbit.

Rabbit skin, still before tanning.

The rabbit skin, only now after tanning. I put it in tanning acid for a couple days. Two or three days normally does the trick, but I was a bit lazy and left it in there for almost a week. I know what you’re thinking, it looks absolutely screwed up at this point.

The rabbit skin a couple days after tanning, when it had dried. Because of the salts in the tanning acid, the drying process can go really slow, but two blow dryers do the trick every time. ^^ I put some kitchen paper in the head of the rabbit, so that it won’t fold flat during the drying process. You can now clearly see I didn’t make the cutting in the skin very regularly at the bottom of the body; due to the infection, I tried to save as much skin as possible. It’s also way more easy to cut off extra pieces of skin when it’s fully dried, since it’s then more clear what it will look like in the end.

The rabbit skin a couple days after tanning, and after it had dried.

Rabbit spine puzzle!

The rabbit spine put together with embroidery threat and a tiny bell attached on top.

The rabbit skull, placed next to another rabbit skull I found a couple months earlier on a walk through a forest.

The left over bones are placed in a glass jar on top of some of my hanging butterflies, waiting for a day where I can use them in some other project.

I didn’t bleach the bones, by the way. I like the colour of unbleached bones more, when they’re bleached they make me think of toothpaste advertisements too much…

In the end, I decided to make a little black box with wine red velvet where I could put them into:

If you’ve got any questions about the way I tanned the skins or anything like that, please don’t hesitate to ask! I’m willing to help you out on your own taxidermy projects.  : )

Book: Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge HC
Writer: Roman Dirge
Artist: Roman Dirge
Publisher: Titan Books
Release Date: September 2011
Pages:  112
Price: $34.95

“A stunning full-color celebration of the eye-catchingly original artwork creator Roman Dirge, the first anthology of his work available anywhere. This lavish hardback includes an introduction and background commentary information on the imagery by Dirge himself, plus previously unpublished artwork, covers and strips, and paintings. The book also includes fold-out pages, displaying Dirge’s work in its full glory, and some brand-new pieces created just for this book!”

Artwork: 5.0 out of 5
I have never reviewed an art book before, so I guess it is only fitting that I start with an artist whose work I love. Now being an art book please note that this book contains tons of GORE-Geous pictures. From the start of page 1 my jaw was slowly opening, by the time I got to page 5 it was on the floor. What I really enjoyed about this collection was that it was not always full-page pieces. At times I was presented with the sketches that led to the final pieces, and that makes the visual experience more fun.

The Book is broken down into 5 sections; sketches, artwork, scarytales, monsters and funny bone. There was not a single one that I did not enjoy looking at. Each section is placed perfectly, because the books builds as it goes on. My favorite might have to be the monster section, but seriously reader, I loved them all.  Being presented with all of the insane things that Roman has concocted over the year is fantastic, and I kinda want to see more turn into comics. I am left wondering one thing though, what is with all the veins and nerves?

Being a graphic designer by trade I have to take a paragraph to go over the layout of this book. One thing that plays into the artwork so well are the typefaces. A nice black-letter font for the titles was a perfect choice to fit the theme and still be easily readable. At times even the page backgrounds have this grunge look to them that enhances the visual tone for the artwork. Even the actual design on the hardcover, minus the slip cover is boo-tiful! Overall this book is so perfect for your eyes that you might cry a little, I know I did.

Story: 4.5 out of 5
Now you should know that there is no real story here since it is an art book, however Dirge is able to still inject his humor into this book. The intro has jokes in it and picture descriptions have jokes in them, so you can’t lose. The ability to add these subtle things enhances the entire experience of the book. It’s like getting your vanilla ice cream topped with sprinkles!

Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
I still can’t say that I would buy every art book out there, but I am so happy I got this one. I love what Roman brings to his comics with his story telling being the main focus over the art. When I can get a chance to check out a book that can showcase the opposite I will take it. This is a complete package that I am proud to put on my bookshelf. Visually stunning with a hint of humor, oh Roman we need a steadier stream of your work in out lives.

If you would like to buy or know more about Taxidermied: The Art of Roman Dirge you can find it at http://titanbooks.com/

via [Make:]

Beautiful work by Irish artist Claire Morgan. Is this a trend though? Another female artist working with taxidermied animals. See Kelly McCallum.