Friday 23 October 2009

Welcome "Blogs of Note" readers!

Yesterday, I had the thrill of coming home and finding out The Flying Trilobite had been listed as one of Google Blogger's, Blogs of Note.

Welcome to the new readers!


I love introducing new people to my Art in Awe of Science, and would like to know more about you. So consider this an open thread to say, introduce yourself, and link back to your own blog. Please feel free to be interesting and not spammy. :-)

A quick intro to who I am: My name is Glendon, and I'm a classically trained oil painter living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I paint mainly using a mixture of traditional and digital techniques, and I love science, atheism and the wonder of imagination. All three of which can go hand-in-hand! Mainly, I paint subjects inspired by our pale blue dot's rich evolutionary history. And the occasional comic book character.

My art has been cited on numerous blogs about the intersec
tion between art & science, and I attended ScienceOnline'09 to moderate a discussion session on the subject, and I will be attending the 2010 conference to expand on it, co-hosting with the inimitable Felice Frankel.

You can read more about me at my bio page.

I also sell some reproductions of my art in my online shop, including t-shirts. Last year, I launched a calendar, which I have re-named Collection 1 and is now updated for 2010. I will have a Collection 2 out in the next few weeks.

Some of my top posts in my opinion are:
-The making of Darwin Took Steps.

-My thoughts on Inspiration & Drugs.
-Because of the amount of searches for it, I posted about Flying & Asthma.
-If you follow the label "process", you will find many more "making of" type of posts about how I create my work.
-I'm a member of Art Evolved, a fantastic collection of paleo-artists. Check us out!
-I've created a number of custom blog banners:


I believe in charities, and two I recommend very highly are:
The Beagle Project
Foundation Beyond Belief
Take a look, and see if the promotion of science, wonder and the advancement of people inspires you.

Thanks again for visiting The Flying Trilobite!

-Glendon

- - - - - - - -

Original artwork on
The Flying Trilobite Copyright to Glendon Mellow
under
Creative Commons Licence.

Flying Trilobite Gallery
*** Flying Trilobite Reproduction Shop ***

67 comments:

Judearoo said...

Love this concept!

Always believe that science and the creative world are not mutually exclusive and really do go rather well together.

I'll be back for more...

Sproglet said...

Hello Glendon,

I love your blog! Not being the creative type myself I think it's amazing the way you've taken science and atheism and turned them into such incredible work.

I'm Becki and my blog over the way (www.thishappenedbyaccident.blogspot.com) is basically just an amusing insight into my life. I mainly talk about anything and everything, feel free to visit if you feel so inclined :)

I'll be keeping a close eyeball on you!

Congratulations on Blog of Note :D

B x

Rob Weaver said...

Hey!

Great Blog, very interesting pieces of Art, wish I could create something only half as good!

Hope you can find the time to check out my blog (robjweaver.blogspot.com), called THIS IS THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN. Im quite new to all this but I write about things from the big issues in the world, to the small observations in everyday life.

Thanks!

Ill keep popping back, keep up the good work!

neela said...

O wow ! what a concept! Art and science together. Ya I believe, together the can creat a magic! Keep them together.

denysmaco0l said...

nice post...i like this,,,keep away...
visit me back,,please!!!

Pandorah's Box said...

Hello fellow Torontonian!!

I love your work and just wanted to say congrats on blogs of note!

I quite agree your blog is noteworthy :)

Take care,

Kato

LaurenInLA said...

Congrats on becoming a blog of note! I find it interesting that you are and artist as well as a scientist. People are usually either left brain or right brain types but it's unusual to find people who are both! I'm a writer and have been published in Yankee and Coastal. Currently, I'm working on a mystery novel as well as blogging, Diary of a Weight Loss Journey (www.laureninla-diaryofaweightlossjourney.blogspot.com). In my blog, I detailing my progress in my quest to lose 40 lbs on a diet that I stumbled across at the checkout counter of the supermarket. I find your blog creative and thoughtful. I look forward to reading more

Mike Haubrich, FCD said...

Good work, Glendon! Good plug for The Beagle Project Foundation, too!

Miss Priss said...

I really enjoy your work and your blog. Congrats are in order for both! Best of luck to you.

Cewek Manis said...

good posting shob salam kenal yooo

dragonfly said...

Hi from Alaska,

Congratulations on being listed as a Blog of Note, and hooray for that because it's how I found you. Great blog, interesting subject matter, beautiful art- I'll be back to visit again :)

fairbetty said...

Really enjoy your art! I'm looking forward to seeing more of it. BTW, the wedding photos of you and your wife are SOOO sweet!

Name's Elisabeth. My blog: http://fairbettysworld.blogspot.com/ I use it for many things, mostly autobiographical... I'm a writer and working on a story I may start posting in the blog, too. I just need to find some time.

Will enjoy following your work :)

Linda said...

Great stuff! I'm a fiber artist who loves science and ideas. This stuff is right up my alley. ;)

I blog about knitting, weaving, other fibery goodness and morris dancing at www.lafarrelly.blogspot.com.

Anonymous said...

Your art is very interesting...and very original!

JL Santiago Aquino said...

congrats

JJ said...

Awesome. I, too, am a lover of science, atheism and imagination! This is such a cool blog, and congrats!
I'm a theatre student having a love affair with science and math. I just started a blog concept a little while ago I've been wanting to do for a year. It's http://jjsspam.blogspot.com

Wonderful blog and art!

The Adventurer said...

oooh! I just stumbled on your blog thanks to blogs of note. Congrats!

I enjoy science as well... and art, but I can't say that I can really draw or paint, or understand half the science stuff, even growing up as a doctor's daughter.... I think it's intriguing, however! I *love* learning.

Tha's all i really have. and I'm gone :-)

Glendon Mellow said...

Great to be meeting everyone! Working my way through your blogs. Great to see so many people with talent for art & writing and critical thought out there!

Shout out to Kato from Toronto!

And always, always good to see you Mike. Thanks.

Unknown said...

Hey Glendon,

My name is Heidi. I really love your artwork. It's insanely cool. Just a quick question, what painter is your biggest influence? Or do you have one? I go to an arts school and I really love oil painting but I hear it's very hard to do so we don't see a lot of it. Being a musician myself, I prefer not to wander into a territory considered "hard" by painters. ^_^;

My blog is over yonder (www.heidi-rose-toes.blogspot.com). It's basically on the things happening in my life and the tiny rants and random tangents I like to go on.

Congratulations on the Blog of Note!

Sincerely,
Heidi.

Glendon Mellow said...

Hello Heidi!

Thanks for checking stuff out. Oils don't have to be hard. You can just let loose and play if you like, and these days there are a lot of non-toxic alternative solvents (I favour Turpenoid Natural) so you aren't dealing with nasty turps. Anyway, I highly recommend it. Remember, all paints use the same pigments, it's just the vehicle (linseed oil, acrylic polymer, gum arabic) that changes.

Influences? A good question.

I love the Symbolist era in particular, and artists like Fernand Khnopff, Jean Delville, Jan Toorop. I like the aesthetic and mood, but not the nihilsm.

I love Edward Burne-Jones and John Atkinson Grimshaw and modern fairie painters like Alan Lee and Brian Froud.

I love concept artists, like Iain McCaig, James Gurney, Jon Foster and Wayne Barlowe.

I love art & imagery filled with science, like work by Carl Buell, Robert Bakker, Felice Frankel, Lynn Fellman, Jacqueline Dillard and Emily Damstra.

I love being propelled to new heights by friends and colleagues like Leslie Hawes, Art Evolved and The Day After Art.

However, after this long, long list, I must say I think I found my stride in mentally mentoring under the imagery of Frida Kahlo, Alan Lee, Rene Magritte and Fernand Khnopff. Those four in particular have shaped my imagery.

My intent was really lit on fire after reading Richard Dawkins' River Out of Eden. After that, I sought out more pop books on science (Matt Ridley, Carl Sagan, Carl Zimmer, Natalie Angier, Micho Kaku, Jerry Coyne). Evolution is exciting.

Whew.
Longest. Answer. Ever.

Le Snips said...

I don't know a whole lot about visual art, and whilst I can't fully appreciate the time and effort required for each masterpiece I've seen today, I love them all. Congrats on getting into bloggers of note!

Snippers
http://pineappleschnapps.blogspot.com

nomore said...

Congrats your Blog of Note...Very nice a blog...

Karen said...

I am so happy I found your blog! Art/science are two of my passions. I live in Portland, OR and I was lucky enough to see Richard Dawkins speak at Portland State University a couple of weeks ago. He is just amazing, and charming too. Also, I clicked on your link to the "Asthma Incubus"... I too suffer from asthma and can definitely relate. I will definitely be reading this regularly! Thank you!

Karen
http://karen-celibacyinthecity.blogspot.com/

Antony Manuel said...

"I love science, atheism and the wonder of imagination"

And what about sauerkraut ?

Nailah Maahes said...

Your blog is creative then others. Its have so many info about creative things. I believe that science and the creative world are not mutually exclusive.

Glendon Mellow said...

Thanks Snippers! Thanks nomore!

Karen, I actually missed Dawkins' visit to Toronto because my asthma was crummy, and I forgot which day he was coming. Saw & met Michael Shermer though, and that was pretty cool. Thanks for checking out Flying Trilobite! Love your blog banner: did you paint it?

Glendon Mellow said...

Anthony, I'm not a big fan of sauerkraut. I like mustards of all kinds and coffee. And not together.

Glendon Mellow said...

Thanks Nailah! I agree!

BoB said...

Hi! Wow, you "love.. atheism". :) :) A lot of people focus on the links between art and religion - which is valid - but equally fascinating is the influence art and science on each other.

You may be interested to know I am freakishly obsessed with the anatomy of the antebrachium (forearm). Sometimes I wish animals had forearms so I could whip up something fancy. How aesthetically pleasing do you think that will be on the dinner table?!

Hehe.. With the fingers grasping an apple. Kinda like that pork dish with an apple in its snout right? OMGOMG. ^_^

P.S. Congratulations on Blogs of Note's, um, notice. :D

Glendon Mellow said...

Hi Nia!

I had an "ick" moment at the idea of a forearm on the table with an apple - but I do know what youi mean. Some natural forms are just pleasing aesthetically if you can divorce the from from its context.

JEN said...

Hi Glendon,
Congrats on being a blog of note!
My name is Jen and I make stick figure comics. They haven't really caught on. I love seeing artists doing something cool! Great concept and good luck! =]

JEN said...

oh yeah http://gemyourface.blogspot.com/
Check it out!

Marimoy said...

I am so glad you got blog of note! More science blogs need to be featured. All of us science bloggers are thrilled!

Anonymous said...

fabulous! I haven't even checked the Blogs of Note feature since last year, but feel it was serendipitous to find you, as a fellow artist

looking forward to seeing more of your work and thoughts...

my art and travel blogs are:
http://artsyedge.blogspot.com
and
http://sacredsojourns.blogspot.com

KimS said...

Hi Glendon! While I'll admit I don't love atheism, I love seeing how all different people and beliefs are inspired by the world around them. Your artwork is beautiful and a great depiction of how every facet of the world can become art. Someday when I have some extra cash I will definitely check out your online store.

My blog is about television, which I suppose is often a depiction of how evolution can go horribly wrong :) Congrats on the Blogs of Note shout-out!

Rashed said...

Congratulations on your blog becoming a Blog of Note! I'm glad to see a fellow-Canadian blog win this title. :) And thanks, too, for this welcome post.

I find your blog interesting, although I'm a religious person. My blog, Notes on Religion, discusses religious issues in the news.

Glendon Mellow said...

Jen: keep making those comics! They're immediate and fresh.

Mimi! Potspoon is excellent! A pleasure to have you visit, and you said it: science blogs need more exposure. Someone at Google's Blogs of Note sure is liking paleo blogs these days: Flying Trilobite, Open Source Paleontologist and The Tyrannosaur Chronicles. Nice!

(I do regret I was unable to comment directly to each person near the top of this thread earlier...rest assured I am making bloggy visits!)

Glendon Mellow said...

Seizing Destiny: I hope your trip is fruitful!

Thanks KimS! I understand atheism is often taken as directly unpalatable. I was casting about for meaning for a long time and it really was as simple as some beautifully written books about evolutionary biology that woke me up to how we figure out the world. It's a beautiful place, and though my art often has a dark aesthetic, I really enjoy thinking about the visual metaphors we can play with using our primate brains, and what that says about us. Thanks for your kind words!

Rashed! Montreal is a beautiful city! Interesting blog you have! One thing about us atheists, we often discuss religious issues too. ;-) Your blog looks insightful.

realhumangirl said...

I love your blog! And the 'Art in Awe of Science' concept. =)

I love science. And I love art. I love the idea of science and how it doesn't say, "This is the truth."

What it says is, "This is the truth for now." That way, we keep finding out more...and we progress.

I call myself an atheist...for lack of a better word. But I like the idea of evolving gods. Gods that we make in our own image or gods who exist because humans believe in them.

I love Dawkins' books too. The Selfish Gene was like an epiphany!

Learning science in uni is hard though. I feel like the material is too structured. But I guess some sort of foundation is required.

Besides being a science student, I'm a writer as well. *here*. =)

I'm following your blog now. It's so weird, I never click on Blogs of Note...but I clicked on a whim and here I am.

Glendon Mellow said...

Thanks Jeannette! Dawkins books have such a great style and prose - I really think a lot of his critics have never read one.

I agree, in many cases, truth is the removal of doubt. Still, I think there are some cases where scientific knowledge won't be overturned. Evolution by natural selection may be complemented by genetic drift and bacterial meddling, but I doubt it will be overturned completely.

Glad you clicked on Blogs of Note, Jeannette! My art is definitely made as kudos to science-driven people such as yourself.

Bob Hale said...

Love your blog, I look forward to going back and reading some of your other posts, starting with those that you list as your own favourites.
I subscribe to a number of scientific blogs already and love the idea of your blog.

I have three blogs of my own.
http://thehittingtheroadagainblues.blogspot.com/
is my writing, including travel writing, a lot of stuff about Alice in Wonderland and a lot of my poetry.

http://aworldlens.blogspot.com/ is a three second a day kind of blog where every day I post one of the many pictures from my travels.

http://anyonecandoit2.blogspot.com/ is actually no longer being updated. It contains the book I wrote about my travels in North and South America. Nobody wanted to publish it so I made it available free via a blog.

Must dash, I have to add you to my RSS feeds.

All the best, Bob

Truth Seeker said...

Great art and good views on life. I really enjoy your blog...feel free to check out some of my blogs as well. Cheers!

Jonesy said...

aw man, i've gotta be interesting??

....

KP said...

blogs of note... hmm congrats for becoming one...
so wat should i cal u.. 'scientific artist' or 'artistic scientist'??

Owen said...

It really is very kind of the Google folks to name blogs of note, for in doing so they help us all discover some great blogs that we might never have found any other way. Congrats ! And great work...

Chase Guindon said...

I Love you blog,Can You Check Out Mine!?

www.thisisabreak.blogspot.com

Glendon Mellow said...

Bumpo, your handle is interesting enough. You're off the hook.

James Bayard said...

great blog (and FANTASTIC artwork!!). i was one of the 'blogs of note' people and am grateful that i had a quick look before heading off to bed. great stuff!

Glendon Mellow said...

Thanks James!

Part of my hoity-toity artistic raison d'etre is to create art for people like yourself who visually recognize what I'm doing. Thanks for the compliment!

manon said...

hey Glendon!
I'm really liking what i've seen so far of your blog! I'm new myself in this whole blogging thing. I'm studying fine arts ages away from you in New Zealand and i think its great to be able to read artists ideas somewhere where its being updated, fresh and new all the time!
my blog is very small at the moment, i only started it recently and still don't have a grasp on the concept yet! but i started it because im on summer break now until february and need a pass time. it's http://manoniv.blogspot.com/
i just comment on day to day things.
I'm also starting a multimedia series based on the ideas of co-existance in nature...another thing that has really drawn me into your blog with the ideas of science in your work.

cheers and hope all is good with you!
Clara

Anonymous said...

About time too!

Glendon Mellow said...

Thanks Manon! I'll be sure to keep checking out your blog.

Hey, thanks Peter! Unbelievable how much traffic a Blog of Note entry fires up. I hope it sends some people toward the greatest educational adventure of our time, the Beagle Project!

Moira said...

I was planning on using this as a shameless attempt to promote my own blog, http://unfortunatesecrets.blogspot.com, but I loved your blog, so I've decided not to.
P.S. If any further commenters have a problem with this comment, don't even try to get mad at me. Because I am a ninja. And I will find you.
XD

Everyday Goddess said...

I can totally see why you are a blog of note! Amazing!

I'm at: www.comedygoddess.blogspot.com

I wasn't a good art student or a good science student for that matter, but I dated a few good artists. And one guy who was clever with a Bunsen burner.

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I just wanted to say that you have a really unique and cool blog.

Congratulations on becoming Blog of Note.

Please check out my blog:

www.rifatmursalin.blogspot.com

If you like culture, I am certain you will like my blog. Oh, I think I might need to add you to my reader list. Let me know if you are interested.

Thanks. :)

dallian said...

I agree with rob weaver, lovee your blog. I'll be back :)

Melanie said...

Very cool art and congrats on Blogs of Note. Your page is definitely worth taking a look at.

S. McLeran said...

Just found your blog through Blogs of Note. What great artwork! I studied Geology in college and though I don't do much with it anymore, still love anything related. I really like the way you've used science as an inspiration for your art. I've always loved science illustration, but your stuff goes to a whole other level. Can't wait to read more! I'll put a link to you on my blog (http://reddasher.blogspot.com/) to help spread the word.

Quantum-blogger said...

Hi i found your blog through the blogs of note on blogger homepage and clicked to see some of your work. I think the art work is fantastic and it's a great skill you have to make it all look so realistic especially with the challenging topic you base your blog on . I have recently started my own blog and wanted some more readers. I would appreciate it if you could perhaps follow the link to my blog, have a read and maybe comment on my writing style. the link is : www.skypieblogger.blogspot.com Congratulations on making blog of note and i'll check back to see future posts
thanks,quantum_blogger

Shane Trinity Jade said...

In honor of not being spammy...

My name is Shane and I am a writer out of Seattle, Washington. I hapt upon your blog and like many others, find your artwork incredible.

I have very recently begun blogging again, and invite you to see my threads and maybe even contribute an idea for what to write about in one of them. Like i said, though, they are in the baby stages so don't judge me just yet.

Looking forward to more artwork.

Mille Feuille said...

Congratulations on the well-deserved kudos. Blog of note, indeed. I share your interest in bringing together science and the humanities, which have too long been considered distinct and warring disciplines. I teach science literacy, research writing, and literature. A day in my class might consist in readings on the difference in visual processing between humans and animals, followed by a creative writing exercise on imagining and describing the experience of an animal in the throes of some new experience.I'll certainly continue to stop by, and perhaps (with your permission) integrate your blog into some classroom activities. You can check out my posts on literature and the human experience at my infant blog: http://myshelfrunnethover.blogspot.com/

Glendon Mellow said...

Thanks for the new introductions, everyone! And thanks for the compliments. * grin *

Mille Feuille, I would love to somehow be integrated into classroom teaching. I've actually received a request for an interview for a teaching site (let's see how it pans out and I'll post a link) and may I also direct you to this article by Adam Goldstein at Evolution: Education & Outreach? In it, he discusses various educational blogs concerning evolution, and one of them (ahem) is this one. Maybe it will give you ideas, he said, with glint of self-promotion in his eye?

Science communication is something I am passionate about, even though I use science imagery as a playground.

Nice to meetcha!

Chelle said...

Dropped by and enjoyed your work.I love both art and science.

I'm also an artist. I work mainly with oils or mixed media. My blog is relatively new and so is most of the work I've uploaded.

I'm at http://coyotesirencall.deviantart.com
and also at
http://coyotessirencall.blogspot.com

Stephen said...

I saw you on Blogs of Note. Congratulations on being picked. Your blog has some interesting artwork, and I think it's good to promote science. I think the blog has a very interesting name, and I liked the trilobite pictures at the top and bottom. I also thought the wedding cake was very interesting and unusual. A possible person to include in your pictures of science people might be Stephen Jay Gould.

I used to think I might grow up to be an artist, long ago, but my life took other directions. I'm interested in science, too, and also in some things that aren't quite accepted by science yet. My blog is mainly a mixture of personal experiences, including a lot of dreams I've had, as well as some poems and fiction, and a lot of writing exercises where a list of words is given by another blog and stories have to be written that include those words. I'm also currently trying to get something written for National Novel Writing Month ( for more info on the Month, see http://www.nanowrimo.org ).

Stephen from Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
http://stephen-has-spoken.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=978531190643365040&postID=6119898620753735870

Glendon Mellow said...

Anonymous, I suspect your comment is a spam-fail. Better luck next time.

Anonymous said...

Great article you got here. I'd like to read more about this topic. The only thing this blog needs is a few pics of some gadgets.
Alex Karver
Cell phone blocker

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Posts over 14 days old have their comments held in moderation - I've been getting an unusual amount of spam for a guy who paints trilobites. I'll release it lickety-split though.

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