Fossil Discovery News
Several years ago while fossil hunting I stumbled upon an odd fossil situated between several fern fronds. Not knowing what it was because it was an odd fossil so I kept it. When I got home I cleaned it and took a picture then posted it on a website for fossil enthusiasts. Shortly after posting the fossil the comments came pouring in saying I found a small section of armor from the Arthropluera Armana. The Arthropluera was a giant centipede that grew to lengths of 6-8 feet and lived during the Carboniferous Period in Alabama 300 million years ago. I also posted the picture on my Facebook Fossil Forum page. A paleontologist whom I had been talking to that lived in Canada over the years about some of my other interesting finds chimed in and suggested I contact my nearest museum to let them see it. He had contacted several individuals down in this area he had worked with in the past shortly after our conversation about the fossil. I later found out that what I have in my possession is the only Arthropluera specimen found in the state of Alabama. It's significance is because no evidence had been found they existed in this part of the country other than small trace fossils. Body sections of this big bug were mostly found in the northeast US, Cananda and Europe. After news broke I spoke with the collections director for the McWane Science Center and donated the fossil to them for study. I was told it will be sent to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History to be studied as well and included in a paper on the Arthroplurea Armana. As of 10/2/18, I spoke with the director at a Alabama Paleontological Society meeting and he told me after the study of that fossil and writing of the paper they are considering naming the find after me....wow! Stay tuned for more news...
Fifteen Minutes Of Fame
The above discovery brought about some recognition relating to the find of a lifetime. One of my paleo groups had a field trip planned for a Saturday and was asked to pick up a gentleman from a local car dealership to accompany me on the drive up to the site. A very nice fella, good conversation en route and glad I got to know him... he shared with me that he was an author of a recently published book and was in the process of doing another? This time it was going to be about fossils. I had mentioned my recent discovery of the centipede piece and he thought it was cool and fascinating. Several months later I was contacted by him, saying he was starting to plan his book and asked if I'd like to participate in it. The book will consist of the fossil finders and collectors in the State of Alabama, both professional and avocational amateurs. There will be a bio of the individual and their contribution to the paleo world in the State. I was honored by the invitation and of course jumped on it! It's not everyday you make a discovery significant to the State and the Southeast! The book is a table top display piece full of interesting stories from each individual to the discoveries and history of Alabama fossils. To order his book and others: www.alabamarocksandrivers.com
My Art
As you guys can see, I have a butt load of fossils but no much room to store them so I came up with the idea to frame some of them! I have some experience in "custom framing" so I tried to figure out different creative ways to display my fossil finds in frames and shadow boxes. Now that storage space is at a premium I will eventually be running out of wall space!
Paleo Art
Here is my attempt at being a Paleo artist. I got on a roll and worked this drawing for about a month. I posted my progress online and got really nice comments on the drawing until I hit a snag. I consider myself an artist by trade but not a paleo artist. This was my first attempt doing a drawing with colored and graphite pencils, plus I bit off more than I could chew. This drawing is large scale and didn't anticipate the coverage of the detail that followed. I was also was told that in the past depictions of the T-Rex it's forearms were wrong. They weren't "slappers" but "clappers" meaning the forearm claws weren't in a downward direction but sideways. From that point I got busy with life and haven't made that change nor finished the drawing. Will I ever...that remains to be seen, hopefully I can get back on it soon?
The Paleo Art Is Progressing
During Covid, I had a lot of time on my hands, so I took the opportunity to continue the Paleo Art. I still haven't finished the T-Rex drawing above but decided I'd venture into the plant world, drawing and creating fossil fern renderings as well as other marine flora such as invertebrates, sharks and Mosasaur. These drawings represented the fossils I would find on my outings and wanted to give the viewer a rendition of what the fossil could have looked like before fossilization. Hopefully as I progress I will get better at this, so for the time being I will have to use the creative licensing rule and do the best I can representing the fossil bringing it to life!
