Beetles: Insect Fascination on Etsy

Handpicked on Etsy: Scarab beetles in ancient Eqypt symbolized the transformation of life, and became an iconic motif for artifacts including amulets, talismans and jewelry. Nowadays, the word "beetle" is more frequently associated with the famed rock band, The Beatles, or with the "bug" auto by Volkswagon, than with the insect. Living, crawling weavils and everyday beetles are typically dismissed as mere pests in modern life, but artisans have long recognized intriguing manifestations of color and form displayed in this class of insects. Today I searched for examples of beetle-inspired creations on Etsy and came across these lovely examples of jewelry and pictorial artwork. Click on the pictures to go directly to these Etsy listings. Prices range from $14.00 to $48.00.

From top left to bottom row, today's featured artists include: aquakej, enchantedbeas, banastrudel, redfoxjewelry, tarabrisbine, sugarandfig, honeybeeceramics, mietoile

Guest Post: The Wierd, The Odd and The Ugly on Etsy

Handpicked on Etsy, with comments provided by April of lunasheart
What if the Ugly Duckling never turned into a Swan but was nonetheless alluring? What if everything malformed and disturbingly different were passed through an Alice’s Wonderland-type of 2-way mirror to emerge both captivating and glamorous?
Let’s just turn the world as we know it upside-down and see everything through different eyes. Today we seek the Beauty within the Beast.
Can people be persuaded to look-at/see things differently? When we think of insects, for example, it is easy for us to associate beauty with butterflies and moths. On the other hand, rarely are beetles, the dominant insect species on earth, considered so lovely. If we open our eyes, however, we discover that many beetles have dazzling, shining, jewel-like coloration that can rival any precious mineral.
An important role of the artist is to help us perceive what we often overlook because it fails to meet the archetypal properties of ‘Beauty’. A courageous artist who ignores convention may stimulate us to survey beyond traditional prototypes of perfection, and appreciate the splendor inherent in every animate organism, whether or not it conforms to our ingrained cultural yardstick.
All too often we forget that Beauty is not just what meets the eye and triggers pleasurable sensations by conforming to primal ideals. It lives in a smile or a laugh, feeling good inside, feeling inspired. Things that provoke these responses certainly deserve the name “Beauty.”
Here’s to the offbeat and the Belle laide: “… attractive despite having ugly features… “

Click on the pictures to go directly to these Etsy listings. Prices range from $10.00 tp $185.00. From top left to bottom right,the artists are: ingeniouslycreative, essentialmonsters, clairepayne, manymonkeys, stinkberryfairy, nouveaumotley, ElinThomas, nouveaumotely, Grotesquesins, ingeniouslycreative, ElinThomas, manymonkeys

About Today's Guest Curator: April is the creative force behind lunasheart. April's selections and comments reflect her interest in how Nature inspires artistic expression. Visit April in her Etsy store, Cherry Icing!