Artist comments

My second painting in the series "UNDERWORLD" , (UNDERWORLD I is the next link on this site), these are the 'ZOOOIDS' or 'ZOOIDS', (** see definitions below) Self-replicating organisms through means other than sexual transmission.

My creatures are based on living things called "Siphonophora". The illustrations I discovered are from the bio-drawings of Ernst Haeckel, (from the book; "ART FORMS IN NATURE") (Ernst Haeckel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Haeckel) Sometimes I meander through this lovely book to get jolts of inspiration. (and also to enjoy, always that!)

I am especially interested in the merge of plant and animal life.

Definitions of "ZOOIDS"
1. any organic body or cell capable of spontaneous movement and of an existence more or less apart from or independent of the parent organism.
2. any animal organism or individual capable of separate existence, and produced by fission, gemmation, or some method other than direct sexual reproduction.
3. any one of the recognizably distinct individuals or elements of a compound or colonial animallike organism, whether or not detached or detachable.

This subject for my work is the obvious evolution of my prior works, such as "CRUSTACEAPODS"( http://www.vomitus.com/museum/NewVmmPages/crustaceapods.html) and my "MICROBIA" paintings. This one is subtitled "INSECTUS"