I’ve had a long time fascination with Taxidermy Artist Beth Beverly. She’s been a regular performer with us, (Beth has done some very strange burlesque and is an accomplished aerialist). But what has really drawn me to her is her fascination with Taxidermy.  When we first met, she had only been playing with dead animals for a little while. We filmed a video short interview with her (bellow) right before she set off to go to official taxidermy school. We decided to follow her progress. Beth started a journal blog and we were to regularly repost her entries.

But we discovered something abut Miss Beverly. Like many brilliant people, she moves FAST. So fast that our reposts became hopelessly out of date and behind her progress. Within the 11 months Beth has gone from curious student to being an accomplished award winning Taxidermy Artist. (In December Beth won “Best in Show” at the Carnivorous Nights Taxidermy Contest in NYC. ) She has already solidified a niche for herself with her taxidermy fashion accessories. Her hats, hairpins & brooches are absolutely surreal. I mean, she struts some serious Fellini action here.

If you haven’t been to her site yet, check it out. I have a feeling we will be hearing a lot more from the vivacious Miss Beverly.

-R.E. Brown
Swellco & Swellco 64312b

Photos courtesy of diamondtoothtaxidermy.com

I finished mounting my squirrel today, here is the skin stretched over the form, sewn shut, but not tucked and pinned in the face.

I think the blow-drying is one of my favorite parts.  I imagine clipping barrettes and bows on furry heads and tails.  Unfortunately my skin had some oily spots…possibly the grease had transferred from the inside to the outside via the many beebee holes in the pelt.  This will be remedied later after the mount has dried.

When I finished the mount, I placed him hanging in dead pose.  I took particular care when pinning the eyes to give it that “deathly downward gaze” appearance.

A guest taxidermist was in the shop today, skinning a porcupine.  Amazingly, he didn’t prick himself once.  I had the bright idea of using a porcupine pelt as a bike helmet cover, and as usual was greeted with blank stares when I voiced this thought.

When Porcupine Guy learned about my penchant for wasting no part of the animal, he gave me a tooth from his specimen.  I was amazed to see how much marrow is stored inside those fangs.

I began skinning my fox, which had been shot by my classmate’s husband and generously gifted to me. I spent about twenty minutes combing briers out of the fur with a metal comb before I could begin.

For lunch, Mr. B treated us to lunch at the local diner.  He said we absolutely had to try the burger; it was an experience. When our meals arrived, I damn near crapped my pants.  The patty was the diameter of the plate, with a regular sized bun sitting atop it, looking like some kind of joke.  Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera at the diner, but I took a picture of my leftovers.   This is the half of the burger I didn’t eat.

After lunch we got a brief tour of the area, and Mr. B showed us around his property.  There was a duck pond, a skating pond, barns, tractors, a horse corral, a chicken coup, and acres of woods and fields.  I was a little overwhelmed.  Country life is so different.  It seems just as busy and crowded as city life but in a more autonomous way.

Back at the shop, I finished skinning my fox. The stench of a fox is mind-blowing.  Their diet consists mostly of skunk,  and the odor they emit can best be described as a combination of halitosis and burnt rubber.  I think I lost a little of my tough chick street cred with everyone when I started gagging.

I’ve always marveled over the colors found inside a skin and assumed it was bruising.  Apparently this greenish hue is actually oxidization on the pelt, which is one of the reasons taxidermists must work quickly.  Taking too much time to skin a specimen allows bacteria to set in, and then once you get the rot, you’ve got a spook.

We tossed the carcasses outside because they were so stinky.  Because the cold, they will remain undetected by other creatures until they can be properly disposed of.  I took it upon myself to saw the heads off, which had Mr. B in fits.

guess I gained my street cred back.  It may seem disturbing, but I have a plan for these heads…

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b

Yesterday I finished my fox mount.  Here he is, face still unset.  My classmate’s mount is in the background.  You can see the carded ears, which keep them from moving while it dries.  I’ll take more pictures this week.

Today we began working on our coyote rugs, using hides purchased from a distributor already fleshed and tanned.  My fellow student also brought in a huge skin from an Alberta Buck her friend had gifted her, and I helped her flesh it out a little.  I’ve got a knack for getting my little fingers on a hunk of flesh and ripping it from the skin which is more economical, time-wise, than knifing it out.  My nick-name for the day is “The Ripper.”

Here is my head form for the coyote, with artificial jaws set in.  Original skulls are rarely used these days because over time the teeth crack and break.  I think when I’m doing this on my own, however, I will use original skulls, simply because I have a disdain for all things plastic.  Maybe I’ll cast metal ones, who knows.

I wanted to challenge myself so I studied some reference pictures and carved a snarling shape into the form.  Creating this expression also involves various sculpting techniques with clay but I’ll keep that info to myself.  I’m trying really hard to keep my inner-brat from emerging as my patience grows thin with all this conventional, commercial mounting.  I think when I’m getting paid to do it, I’ll have no issue, but I long to be putting jewels on paws, false lashes on eyes, pheasants on stilts, etc.

When Mr. B came back from lunch he had a present for me- one of his hens had died over the weekend and when he’d mentioned it to me in passing this morning, of course I asked him what they did with it.  “Well, we usually bury ‘em…” …but surprise!  He brought it in for me!  She’s a real looker, too, and she’s all mine to mount however I wish.  Stay tuned.

After we finished mounting the head portion of our rugs, the hides were soaked and stretched on a table.  I am not so adept with hammering; I whacked my thumb several times.  What’s even more tantrum-inducing than smashing a digit repeatedly with a hammer and staying silent about it so as not to draw attention, is your instructor catching it every time and reminding you  “not hit your thumb with that hammer.  It really smarts.”

I noticed several lady bugs on the table; the other student and Mr. B were eager to destroy them.  Apparently there is a huge LB infestation in the area and they are not viewed as the luck-spreading, charming little guys we here in the city know them as.   In fact, they are a different breed.  The LBs up in the Poconos are an Asian beetle which look exactly like Ladybugs, and were brought to the US to aid in pest control.  I guess they then became the pest themselves.  I’m told they reproduce like crazy and clog up vents, eat through stuff, and bite.

Not so cute:

I took the scenic way home, via back roads, and stopped for coffee at a little shop in White Haven.  I’d wanted to stay and enjoy it there while I soaked in the environment, maybe get some networking practice, but it was just myself and the “barista” I doubt he’d call himself that) there and I felt him eyeing my every move so I stepped out.  I hate feeling watched when I haven’t made it clear I’m looking to be the center of attention.  I start to second guess my every move and can’t think straight.

When I got home, I took a walk around the hilly fields behind the cabin and then took a nap with the dogs in front of the fire while the boys made dinner.  They ate and headed out, and I went to bed.

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b

I can honestly say the stench didn’t bother me that much.  After a few minutes you just get used to it.  And yes, I was drinking coffee the entire time, grabbing for my white mug with my gut covered hand and thinking nothing of it.  I was perplexed that no one had wanted to eat these fish, but Mr. B informed me that one of the students from a year ago had caught so many that they did in fact eat them, about 5o of them and  the rest were frozen.  I guess after a certain amount of time they’re rendered inedible due to freezer burn.  Am I crazy for looking at the guts in my hands and being tempted to shove the in my mouth?  Especially the cheek meat!  I remember visiting friends in Basque, when my husband and I went to Saint Sebastian and tried the eat of a fish’s cheek on bread.  It was unpararelled oral delight.   I am eager to buy an entire fish back home and get some of that for myself, as well as a beautiful mount.

I mounted another trout, this one I added some motion to the form to make the fish seem to be swimming.

Next I carved a form for a Blue Gill.

They’re much smaller than Trout and have very large scales which made skinning a challenge.

I opened up to my instructor a bit about what my intentions with taxidermy are, and he showed me some old books featuring “novelty taxidermy” which has been around for longer than I’d imagined.  Perhaps I was a Victorian in a past life!

That afternoon I practiced my hoop and then sat in the side room by the wood burning stove with the guys and worked on a cross word puzzle.  I had to shower the fish smell off before I could eat dinner (I have limits!) and enjoyed chicken with steamed brocoli and risotto for dinner, with cranberry cosmos.

Between the deer and moose meat given to me by my instructor and the royal treatment I receive from my hosts, I am officially being spoiled rotten.

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b

Happy Birthday Charlie Baphomet!  The Swellco & Swellco Video Circus, a wholly owned subsidiary of Swellco & Swellco International is proud to provide an inspection of our studio offices and host the visiting Board of Directors member’s birthday bash.

Lord Baphomet, the secret location & password has been reveled to your worthy consumer assets and a great cock cake has been baked in your honor. All staff members bow before your massive earning potential and thank you and all of our corporate masters at headquarters for the pleasure of employment.

We bow our knee and throw our flag up on this the most glorious day. The day when a great conqueror was given to us by the dark lords of the abyss. A conqueror who wields the hostile takeover and the almighty power to downsize upon command.

Let it be known that on this day there will be cake. Free cake carved from from a giant corporate cock that at any moment might get shoved up a consumer assets ass.

I give
away my fears and doubts, the future is a concept.
My body
is just a vessel, because this life is false.
And my
doubts will fall away, in the face of this warming knowledge.
Soul for
the afterlife? It’s not yet my concern.
The pleasure
gained by living, is all we can truly know.
Of the
beauty in life, we will fully indulge.
Swellco & Swellco
is just a punchline, because it’s not for real.
Video Circus
is just a concept, the party’s in my head.

Shhhh… The party is at the Khyber Pass Pub, 56 S. 2nd St., Olde City, Philadelphia
Password: Tubal Cain

Today we learned how to properly airbrush a fish to restore its natural coloring for posterity’s sake.  It’s really a shame that the colors fade in the scales, because no matter how talented the artist-nothing quite compares to nature.  I’m already scheming Trout skin wallets and rabbit mermaids in my not too distant future…

Here is the Trout, with color foundation added.  To show you the rest would give too much away, so there.

The demo took a big chunk of the morning and in the afternoon we added finishing touches on our pheasants, which we were then allowed to take home with us.  I will take professional shots shortly and post them here, as well as on my website.  I am still trying to come up with a name for my business once I get home and set up shop.  Something that appeals to a mass audience but lets my whimsical and humorous side leak through just a tad…

We got out of class a little early so I decided to work on my extracurricular activity-skinning a deer all by myself.

Here she is, laid out in her entirety.  A donation to me from a professional,  although she exhibits no real external wounds (aside from some blood around the mouth and ears), I soon discovered the internal was a completely new can of worms.

There was significant bruising and bleeding around the ribs and guts, the one leg bone was completely shattered from the second joint to the shoulder, and the skull was crushed as well.  Poor thing.  I know this picture is unsettling and graphic, but I also admire the pretty colors leaking out around the skin and flesh.

I wanted to use the legs on their own for either a wall-mounted thermometer or even a hat, who knows.  I tried sawing them off but the blade wouldn’t cut through the bone.  Thankfully there were some bolt cutters in the shed next door and they snapped right through like  buttah. I couldn’t help but cringe with each crackling cut as I imagined my own limbs being cut off in such a fashion.  This empathy I feel towards my specimen seems to be a constant thread running through my mind these days.  I feel sorry and thankful at once for these creatures, who have died by gun, gas or vehicle and wound up in my hands.  I am incessantly imagining every cut, tear and twist as though it were my own body lying there on the table.  I think of how surgeons open us up and swap parts on the regular, as though we as humans are nothing more than living rag dolls.

Does this make me sick?  I prefer to call it thoughtful.

Skinning out the head took a while; the hide didn’t seem to want to stretch over the neck base of the skull so I had to make an extra cut and finesse it a bit.  Here are a couple shots of the nose and lips, pre-splitting.

I went inside to clean out the legs and was promptly informed  by Sarah that I absolutely STUNK.  So I showered, and came down to a lovely chicken dinner and martinis.  Sarah also built her first fire, which is somewhat of a triumph considering the trauma she’s been recovering form since a fire claimed her home almost ten years ago.

After dinner we each had another cocktail and watched “Bringing down the House” to which I couldn’t decide to be offended (more for the plot/script/fight scenes than the racial content) or amused.  We followed with some dessert cocktails and some Dr. Fart.

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b

Today we finished our Mallard mounts; I’m pleased with what a nice specimen I was able to work with but not entirely stoked about the mount itself. I found the skinning  a challenge and spent extra time sewing up my holes:

I think the eyes are a little wonky and I realised too late that I secured the tail into place a bit crooked.  Mistakes like this can be remedied by corrective positioning, but I’d prefer not to make the mistake in the first place.  Here is the rear-view; tail feathers are taped in place for drying.

We then began skinning our hooded Mergansers, which I was very much looking forward to.  My heart sunk just a tad though when I made my first cut and saw that this duck was even fattier than the last one!

Speaking of grease, water fowl such as these two species have built-in  glands from which they can extract oil with their beaks to distribute all over their feathers and aid in flotation.  I cut them out of my Merganser and discreetly packed them away in my bag, hoping to discover a use for what surely must be nutrient-rich oil.  It seems like such a waste to me to keep tossing body parts in a garbage can.

Once home, I did a little research and found this product in which one of the main ingredients is duck preening oil.  I’ve read mixed reviews of the cream online, but I figure using the oil straight from the source with no chemicals can’t hurt.  Besides, I’ve put stranger things on my face.  I’ll keep you posted.

For these specimen, the original skull is used which means it remains attached to the head.  It can be tricky to invert without ripping the skin, especially when the head is on the larger side.  Also, it takes some finesse to cut away from the delicate ear/eye area. Here is mine, worked down to the beak.  After this the skull gets cleaned, which just might be my least favorite part.  Sorry, no pictures for that one.

My fellow student gave me some Venison steaks from a deer her husband had bagged.  She can’t stand gamey-type meat so it was a relief to get it out of her fridge.  I was quite thankful and promised to give her a full report on the resulting meal.

When I got home I felt unusually tired so I skipped my hoop workout and drew a long hot bath instead while Sarah made dinner (leftover pork chops and salad).

The tub is enormous and displayed exquisitely, as is everything else in the house.  Just to be silly, I scattered some flower petals over the water before easing in with my People magazine.

And yes, I was so blissed out that I took a moment to document it by taking a picture of my feet.  The tub was almost too big; it was difficult for me to stay upright since I couldn’t reach the end.  I eventually just gave into it and sank down until just my nose poked out of the water.  I think I must have zoned out because the next thing I knew if was completely dark.  I got my cozy clothes on and went downstairs, built a fire and ate dinner with Sarah while we watched more “Flight of the Conchords“.  Afterward we enjoyed some White Russians while I painted my nails.

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b

I managed to get my hands on a deer and an avian grab bag of sorts over the weekend which I was super excited about bringing into school today.  So excited, in fact, that I got on Rt 80 the wrong way and by the time I corrected my mistake and made it to school I was half an hour late.  I walked in on the middle of a fish demo.  We are in the midst of the bird course but a friend of Mr. B’s is dying of cancer and called him over the weekend begging him to mount this trout that he’s caught, ASAP as he only had however many days/weeks left.  I hear so much about cancer; it seems that everyone in B’s family has survived/succumbed to at least one form of it, and the other student is all too familiar with it as well.  Is it a mountain thing?

Anway, he began by hand carving a form out of foam, and then gutting the fish.  The skin was stretched over the form and sewn shut in back .  I’m simplifying, obviously, because I can’t be giving the entire process away…

After the Trout was mounted and drying, we began skinning our Mallard ducks.  I found this to be more challenging than pheasants, since they are so fatty.  I managed to put several holes in my skin when degreasing it.  A slight reprise though came when I simply cut the entire head out of the duck, instead of inverting it and needing to clean the skull, which is SUCH a drag.  Apparently the beaks on Mallards simply have too much fleshy tissue on them so the method of choice is to airbrush artificial heads and stretch the skin over them. Up top is is my removed duck neck and head.

I’m learning more and more about regulations on what I may and may not possess as a taxidermist.  The amount of permits I need to acquire to do just about anything is dizzying and somewhat disheartening, but I’m determined.   In class, I’m a frequent inquirer, constantly asking “do people eat that?”, “How do you kill those?” and today my queries included but were not limited to making Trout-skin purses, the degree of edibility of fish eyes and applications for duck fat.  The answers I receive aren’t always enthusiastic but I think he’s accepting the fact that I won’t stop pressing.

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b

Oh, and here’s a taste of the local grocery experience:

Vol. 2 Synopsis

The Machine discusses his knife collection with his lady friend Melissa. R.E. Brown appears in a PSA denouncing bestiality. Taxidermy artist Beth Beverly discusses her love of dead art. Mr. Deadguy resides over a friendly game of strip roulette between Charmaine and Louise L’tease. The Machine returns to take Melissa on a tour of his new bachelor pad. Plus a whole lot of subversive mind control video designed to melt your brain out your ears.

Today I skinned and stuffed my second pheasant, putting it in a closed (standing, wings shut) mount.  After skinning and removing all bits of fat and flesh, I gave it a bath.  Here it is drying.

After the bath the skin gets tumbled in sawdust for about five minutes and then dried and fluffed with a hair dryer.  I had a little more trouble working the wires through the legs of this guy, but again I am pleased with the result.  I am hoping that over time my speed improves, however; I feel like molasses every time I look over and see the other student about four or five steps ahead of me.  Thankfully she smokes so she can go outside and rest while I catch up.

The feathers are set with plastic wrap and my eye mistakes fixed with pins for now.  Later on I will create a proper environment for him to occupy, with reeds and moss, etc.

The feathers are set with plastic wrap and my eye mistakes fixed with pins for now.  Later on I will create a proper environment for him to occupy, with reeds and moss, etc.

Later on we learned how to use our airbrush kits; I am not taking to it as easily as I’d like.  Once I master the control factor though, I should be golden.  After we had the basics down, we gave a bit of color to some duck feet and even painted some artificial Mallard heads!

I went home and worked on my hoop, then ran errands and tidied up the cabin.  Afterwards I fixed myself a martini and watched “The Mother”, which took two more martinis to undue the trauma inflicted upon me by the sheer unexpected and shocking content

This is video footage of me going through the various treasures form my freezer; often I’ll forget what I’ve stashed in there until I take it all out.

I also wished to acknowledge my appreciation of my place in the cycle of life.

-Beth Beverly
Swellco & Swellco 21474b