The Collections

A Moment of Insanity....

What Exactly does One Collect, Dear Readers, if One is a Naturalist residing in a Tree House? This a question that has tipped me a little over the edge of Obsession in this Project! To begin with, the items have to be Tiny... Relevant to the Characters.... Visible..... Displayable in this already crowded room.... and by the very Nature of a Collection.... there must be more than one! Besides the Books that one expects to find in a Library, I have imagined this Naturalist (with a slightly Victorian sensibility) would gather the fascinating specimens of the Natural World around him.... perhaps beginning with the Rocks and Crystals of the Earth....
Here below you can see a particularly Splendid Amethyst Crystal mounted on a silver stand.....

(This is a beautiful little crystal of mine, which appears Huge in this scale!)

And it should be joined by a Quartz crystal..... not as perfect a specimen....

 

And then perhaps we should include this piece of an Amazing Crystalline Mineral... 

the name of which Escapes me..... but which is just too fascinating to leave out.....

And Then perhaps we should venture into the Agates.....

And assemble the smallest and Flattest examples we can find...

And fit them into the Drawer of the Secretary Desk......

Because they Must go Somewhere......!

And the Drawer still closes!!!

And the Finer specimens will be displayed on the Mantelpiece.....

Where they make Quite a Statement..... 

like Mystical Guardians....

Or crammed into the dark corner of the topmost shelves....

Where it is barely visible... behind the flickering candelabra.....

 

But that is just the beginning, Dear Readers....

The Rocks are followed by the Flora.....

And there is Nothing the Victorians liked so well as a Good Terrarium....

 

Placed under a Great Bell Jar......

With Mosses and Ferns.....

Set on a perch near a window.....

Where the plants might see some sun.....

 

And if we are collecting Flora..... 

Surely there would be some Fungi as well.....

Tiny little "lace-cap" mushrooms.....

(with due credit to Amy Gross for the Inspiration....)

 

 

These are made from paper and lace....

 And set within a Bell Jar.....

 

And perched upon a Bookshelf on the open door.....

 

Where the Bell Jar is all but Invisible...!

But we Cannot stop there, Dear Readers......!

The Collector's Passion jumps from one life-form to the next....

Surely the Lepidopterist must have his day.....

These Tiny Butterflies are painted by me on transparent drawing vellum... 

and here they are cut out and glued to sewing thread (to form the bodies..)

And here they have been glued to "invisible" nylon beading thread.....

Which is stiff enough that they will appear to be Fluttering above the surface....

 Of the Tiny little "reflecting pool" that is the base......

A Tiny little Pond......

In a Bell Jar.....

 

(Such a Victorian Vignette...!)

 

 (Yes, I Did find a smaller gelatin capsule...!)

Can you see how Tiny this is?!!!)

 

 Who could blame us for wanting it to sit right in the Middle of the Library Table!

(So difficult to Photograph!!!)

Is it Possible to have Too Many Bell Jars...?

Somehow.... I don't think we're done yet with the Collections!!!

Definitely a Moment of Insanity...!