"Apex Predators" from Planet Ish

"Extrasolar Botanical Study : Planet Ish : Apex Predators" was the third piece I completed in 2011.  The wood panel is one inch thick and is 11" x 37" not including the frame.  It took about a month for me to finish. 
Since I did not have a projector at the time, I had to use the old school method of graphite rubbed on tracing paper. 

The design/illustration is a vertical mirror image of itself.  The flower head and vines at the top portion of the panel match exactly to the design and shape of the spikey root system at the bottom portion.  I chose to break the entire piece into smaller sections for better accuracy. 

Once the design was transfered onto the wood panel, I used ink (Sharpie) to trace all outlines and then proceeded to paint within the lines.

The wood panel was sanded and stained Golden Oak.  Approximately three coats of polyurethane were applied on top of the painted/stained surface.   The frame was purchased as crown molding/trim....which was hand-cut, assembled, and stained (Ebony) by myself.

This "apex predator" killer plant was observed laying its long skinny vines on the bottom of lakes....and twitching the tips of the vine like a small gyrating worm....as a fish would strike (thinking its a meal) the plant's vine would quickly snatch the fish out of the water by hooking through and out the gills. 

It had also been observed grabbing birds out of the air, most often during mid-flight.  On some occasions the powerful and long vines would wrap so tightly around the neck of a bird that it would cause the head to detach from the body.

This apex predator was obviously carnivorous and all hunted prey were placed into the mighty jaws below.

"Apex Predators" is part of a developing series of paintings on various wood panels that all revolve around a "fictional" theme of a mythical planet called Ish.

Benjamin Andrews Oliver 2011