SO I have a really awesome boss who let me have an art show in the Ice Cream Shop where I work. Each of the bell Jars have a little tag with writting on it, and I thought I'd include those too! This is somewhat of a looong post but thanks for checking it out!
Here are some installation shots:
An assemblage of Marcus' ephemera and little nature bits
I actually sold the deer!
I made these trees out of books to help fill up the space, this one is from Jack London's Call of the Wild.
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Detail w/ "knothole"
This one is A Cristmas Carol by dickens in it's entirety (including the illustrations)
Here are the specimen jars. I made the wood bases out of left over bits of black walnut (with the help of a jigsaw, belt sander, and router at my old schools woodshop where I worked) The bell jars are hand blown glass that I assisted in making- my old college was awesome and had a glass department! There are also Marcus Kelli field note excerpts for each one. (not that I expect you to read them all! lol)
Kelli's Scout Mantis
“This mantis secretes a sticky fluid over most of its body, allowing it to secure itself to nearly any surface. Not only does this allow the scout mantis to live in high up/hard to reach places, but also creates a foul taste for predators. I’m very excited about this discovery”
-Marcus Kelli
Early Field Notes
Long Tail Mice
“I observed the mouse lay his tail near the opening of the burrow. He very curiously sat there for quite some time with the tip of his tail exposed from the burrow. The tail must be a tool to sense predators that come too near the burrow entrance, for when a curious fox sniffed at the hole a cloud of dirt rose from the burrow and he was momentarily blinded- then scuttled off annoyed. The mouse was apparently not worth the effort”
-Marcus Kelli
Field Notes
Eastern Mountain Bird
“This is a curious creature. Never before have I seen any animal, let alone a bird, with the mythical third eye. I found him this morning at the bottom of a very tall tree. The beast appears to have fallen, and without any apparent wings to guide him, he did not reach the ground safely. He must have used his bulbous legs to have climbed such a height.”
-Marcus Kelli
Field Notes
Snow Moths
“The snow moths are beautiful to watch. They flutter softly around each other, staying in tight groups of five to ten. They seem to be a favorite food of sparrows in the area. The birds swoop and lunge at them but they find safety in numbers, often confusing the birds by scattering and regrouping.”
-Marcus Kelli
Field Notes
Freshwater Pygmy Whale
“Up stream from the delta mouth I saw my little whale again today. At first I thought my eyes had been playing tricks on me, but the sighting today confirms its existence. It swam around, curling and uncurling its tail to propel it’s self it quick bursts in and out of rock crevices. It’s beak like mouth seems covered in a baleen substance that it scraped along the rocks, loosening the algae from it’s hold and making it easier to for him to inhale his supper”
-Marcus Kelli
Field Notes
The Nesting Dimi
“New specimen collected- I shall name it a Dimi for it’s diminutive stature. It is barely the size of my thumb, with a thick mane of hair on it’s back. There is what appears to be a clutch of eggs nested in the fur. As far as I can tell the Dimi is a mammal. I have seen them in (very) small herds with young, but I have never been able to find a nesting site until now! -right under my nose”
-Marcus Kelli
Field Notes
Here is the "statement" for the show which was installed inside the large wooden pedestal in the upper photos:
"Welcome to Winter Wonders
An excerpt from The Marcus Kelli Collection
This installment of the Marcus Kelli collection focuses on specimens observed to thrive in harsh winter climates in regards to the winters we all face and overcome. Here you will find the creative ways in which these animals worked to survive.
These specimens were observed, captured and mounted by the Naturalist Marcus Kelli. He discovered many specimens unknown to science as he followed the principles of Naturalism. He searched places many of his professional colleges disregarded, and thus vowed to always regard himself as an amateur, as to never overlook anything. He artfully studied the natural world, and his sensitivity and attention to detail shows in his extensive collection of curious specimens.
“The Naturalist must learn to see things that escape the eyes of most people, signs of what has passed, what is happening and what is yet to come”
-Vinson Brown From The Amateur Naturalist’s Handbook
If we follow this example we too will find the surprisingly beautiful works of nature that lay right before our noses." (c) Danielle Schlunegger 2011
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I love the hoop, I've just started using the same kind and I love them. It's also stitched in a dark brown instead of black which matches everything! ( note the color of my desk) Thank you imafundork! 
