While considering what to write about for this blog article, I meandered through the internet looking at a variety of images, Permalac postings, and just some mentions of our products and came across this image of a praying mantis. It’s made of copper and coated with a dye-oxide to provide the beautiful patina. Permalac was used to protect its finish. Then I did a little more research into the bug itself and found out there is an entire cult-like following for the little creature.
Wikipedia explains that they are a wide-spread order of insects.
Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 430 genera in 15 families. The largest family is the Mantidae (“mantids”). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They have triangular heads with bulging eyes supported on flexible necks. Their elongated bodies may or may not have wings, but all Mantodea have forelegs that are greatly enlarged and adapted for catching and gripping prey; their upright posture, while remaining stationary with forearms folded, has led to the common name praying mantis. – Wikipedia
Guess who is in the family? Go on, guess. Cockroaches. And Termites. But we won’t hold it against them, after all, you can’t choose your relatives. However, when one mantis chooses a mate, more than half the time the male is devoured by the female. Where have we heard that before?
I learned that there are all sorts of “mantis mavens,” cult-like people that are all about the “bug.” There are hobby e-stores that offer all kinds of mantis buildable kits, models, pre-made statuettes, and more. There are puzzles, games, and who knows what else.
Several sculptors have made full-blown metal sculptures of the predator bug that stand more than ten feet high as seen below.
There are tens of thousands of praying mantis images online. There are also a vast variety of metal workers from around the world that have decided to make this “thing” an object of their art. Of all of the dealers offering built it kits I was overwhelmed at the popularity of the species. Here’s something I found that comes from far away Viet Nam that I found interesting.
Now, if only every metal praying mantis had a decent coat of Permalac on it, they could have extended their life by at least another decade.
If you’re a metal artist, whether it be sculpture, jewelry, hanging art or full-blown sculptor, many, many of our current customers rely on Permalac to protect their work’s patina, bare metal features, and it won’t separate from its foundation when bent or twisted like other lacquers sometimes do. Rest assured, it is the favorite of world-class sculptors both here in the US, but across the globe.
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Great story on the mantis family! I had no idea they were related to the cockroach and termite. Beautiful sculptures too. Thanks for sharing…