#taxidermist

FOX OF THE VALLEY.

Available for pre-order as a t-shirt and longsleeve, from now until the 8th March 2021. Ships (worldwide) around 4 weeks after! 

Order here: mercht.com/c/foxofthevalley

More info: instagram.com/vectorthatfox

Real version of this t-shirt (and longsleeve and sweater) available now and for two weeks here: mercht.com/u/vectorthatfox

Big love to everyone pestering me to release it again.

Hey folks, lots of people have been asking about a restock in various sizes of my FOREVER COLLECTING DEAD THINGS t-shirt, but I’m too busy right now, so I’ve done a Mercht​ print campaign.

Long and short sleeve t-shirts, and sweaters are available, and any orders will be printed and shipped by the amazing Awesome Merchandise​.

Available for a limited time here: https://mercht.com/u/vectorthatfox

Please share with your spooky friends!

Hey folks, lots of people have been asking about a restock in various sizes of my FOREVER COLLECTING DEAD THINGS t-shirt, but I’m too busy right now, so I’ve done a Mercht print campaign. Long and short sleeve t-shirts are available, and any orders will be printed and shipped by the amazing Awesome Merchandise.

Available for 10 days: https://mercht.com/c/deadthings

Please share with your spooky friends! 

Strolling amongst the parade of animals at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle is a state of awe. This beautifully designed spectacle is truly greater than the sum of it parts.
Many of the animals individually were taxidermied in the 1800s or early 1900s. Though from a distance and in such a mass, our eyes are delighted.
And, one has to marvel at the craftsmanship of a taxidermy specimen from 1850 still delighting the public today.
That’s why I wanted to share some photos also of the ‘bad taxidermy’ from this museum and make a case for it.
In museums such as this in the later 1800s, it was common for the preparator / taxidermist to have limited (if any) information about the animal. They were not the collector, usually not a biologist and certainly did not have access to google images or Wikipedia. They mostly likely had some illustrations and writings from field biologists— if they could track them down in the museum’s library.
What they had to work with was typically a dried skin perhaps stuffed with straw and a cleaned skull with teeth. Everything had to be prepped in the field and sent along in crates as there was no refrigeration. Many times this would take months and there was no communication between the collectors and the taxidermist.
So, while some pieces may have been done by a skilled naturalist / taxidermists like John Gould or Carl Akeley, most were done by confused museum employees doing their best with what they had.
So, while the rest of the museum patrons see an ‘angry Hippo’ or a ‘bad Seal’, I get to walk through time. I see an 1800s taxidermist who heard terrifying stories about Hippo attacks. I see a very confused Parisian taxidermist from the early 1900s who was guessing about how flippers worked. (He guessed wrong, but A for effort.)
And yes, I imagine future taxidermists, walking through museums, pondering my mistakes.

Landing barn owl commission complete, will take better photos soon #taxidermy #taxidermyco #taxidermist #barnowl #taxidermyowl #beauty #bird #birds #oddities #art #wildlife #owl #owls #vultureculture #nature #habitat #artist #commission (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

‘Anatomy of a Jay’ - tribute to my favourite bird Original skele-artwork is now available to purchase from www.taxidermyco.uk - makes a perfect Christmas present for art and wildlife lovers! #art #artforsale #skeleton #taxidermyco #contemporaryart #watercolour #mixedmedia #artist #artistsoninstagram #artoftheday #jay #bird #birder #wildlife #vultureculture #bones #skull #homedecor #fineart #unusual #oddities #goth #nature #taxidermy #beauty #taxidermist #illustration (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Still work to do but you get the idea! & A partridge in a pear tree - don’t expect me to do 6 geese a laying now #partridge #christmas #pear #tree #taxidermy #decoration #taxidermie #taxidermyco #taxidermist #bird #birds #art #wildlife #handmade #christmas #homedecor #interiordesign (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Nightmare pheasant done and drying ✅ #taxidermy #taxidermyco #taxidermist #art #artist #pheasant #bird #birds #oddities #vultureculture #white #hen #wildlife #deadthings #animals #homedecor #taxidermybird #artisan #suffolk #weekend

Birds are really putting me through my paces recently! Another shattered skull fixed with hot glue, strong thread and a lot of patience. Also - bonus shattered wing and leg bones, my favourite. #sarcasm #taxidermist #pheasant #taxidermy #taxidermyprocess #skull #fracture #gamebird #white #leucistic #bird #birds #taxidermyco #dead #clean #wip #art #artist #animals #vultureculture #tgif #weekend #commission #suffolk (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

This gorgeous little gem is now available! Take him home today only at www.taxidermyco.uk perched in an eating pose, I cast a little piece of real apple in resin #taxidermy #taxidermyco #taxidermist #art #forsale #vultureculture #deadthings #oddities #bird #parakeet #parrot #homedecor #interiordesign #artisan #handmade #beautifulbizarre #food #apple #animals (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Can’t wait for spring/summer where there is more daylight to get things done! Here’s the muntjac all pinned and set - now gotta wait for him to dry. By the time I’m back from hols he should be ready for his airbrushing and final touches #taxidermy #suffolk #taxidermist #taxidermyco #taxidermyart #muntjac #deer #buck #commission #dead #deadthings #wildlife #vultureculture #artist #art #animals #craft #handmade #wip #skill (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Considering I’m rocking a kidney infection right now, I’m pretty chuffed with the progress I’ve made on the muntjac buck today keeping him hydrated so I can finish tomorrow ☺️ #taxidermyco #taxidermy #wip #taxidermyprocess #muntjac #deer #taxidermydeer #interiordesign #homedecor #commission #art #wildlife #vultureculture #animals #oddities #stuffed #cute #handmade #suffolk #taxidermist (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Together forever this gorgeous pair of melanistic pheasants were donated to me, I had to do some emergency skinning and prepping today as I have no freezer room! @bezzaboo Thank you for letting me temporarily store them in your normal food freezer #togetherforever #taxidermy #emergency #prep #pheasants #pretty #love #taxidermyco #vultureculture #taxidermyart #taxidermist #bird #game #country #cute #wildlife #amazing #melanistic #animals #hisandhers #freezer #oddities #deadthings #suffolk #art #hobby #craft #pheasant (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Finished this cutie! Will take better pictures soon ☺️ #badger #cutiepatootie #taxidermyco #taxidermy #taxidermist #stuffed #art #wildlife #ethical #roadkill #melesmeles #animals #vultureculture #suffolk #workshop #craft #handmade #womenwhomake (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

I’m gonna miss this magical bb when he goes off to his new owner! #unicornsarereal #unicorn #taxidermy #lamb #cute #real #taxidermyco #curio #oddities #vultureculture #taxidermist #craft #handmade #art #animals #pet #foal #fawn #baby #stuffed #taxidermyforsale #unicorns (at Taxidermy Co. UK)

Continuing the goofy saga of me snuggling kittens at festivals… #kitty! #kitten #okanogan #okanoganbarterfair #okanoganfamilyfaire #barterfaire #myoffice #taxidermist #naturepunk #cat #tabbycat