Walking through my garden towards dusk this weekend, watering can in hand for the new plantings, my eye was drawn to numerous small creatures. Oblivious in their own small universe, perhaps tired, they did not budge when I moved the iPhone directly above them, my watering task all but forgotten.

In the mysterious ways memory works, I suddenly recalled a miniature landscape I had encountered years back in the middle of Manhattan, to be looked at through a glass embedded in, I don’t know, a construction fence? Some office wall? No, I checked: Wall of the Museum of Arts and Design, on Broadway.

The artist, Patrick Jacobs, builds pseudoscientific dioramas using paper, styrene, acrylic, vinyl, neoprene, wax, and hair, and photographs among other materials, viewing them through lenses as he works, using tweezers and brushes. They are lit from within and exhibit incredible depths. Below are links to some of his typical work. If you are in Italy, you have a chance to catch his most recent exhibit until June 9th…..

Miniature Landscapes Through the Looking Glass

You look at the panoramas through circular shaped lenses, which reminded me of the Claude glass, an optical device used by 18th century landscape painters. The convex black mirror allows you to asses tonality and light and shade ratios in its reflection. I have always thought it would be interesting to do a landscape photography project with one of those things – probably done already by numerous photographers. Nonetheless, it would fit into the themes of reflection and distortion so much part of my montage work. Which reminds me: I have finally re-designed my art website – give it a look, feedback appreciated!

And for your Monday morning jolt, here is another insect-related masterpiece….gives you a crunching start into a hopefully bug-free week:

Unless you want to end up like Rothenberg who does all this interspecies music.

He has shifted from insects to whales now…..