The Big Bugs of David Rogers.

I felt particularly lucky last Friday. I had the chance to spend a few hours with another artist, David Rogers, from the state of New York. This artist has gone big in many ways. David was published in Better Homes and Gardens and was featured on CNN in the first three weeks of his debut with The Big Bugs concept. The show is booked a few years in advance and is traveling the nation to bring people out for the betterment of learning and being wonderstruck by art.

We walked along the trails of the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory to view one remarkable Big Bug after another. We laughed it up and talked of many things. I learned that David had worked as ski patrol in the winter and sailboat-delivery crewmember on the eastern seaboard in the summer. In the Fall of 1990 at his cousin's farm in Vermont's Green Mountains, David saw a vision of his next era and knew it would be big. This vision was simply in a maple sapling bowed from pressure of the previous winter's ice storm. David describes it as, "There was something about the curvature and posture of this particularly ravaged tree--a backbone to a large beast, perhaps--that suggested a new life for the tree. Using dried branches and different varieties of tree saplings, a "dinosaur" sculpture emerged in twelve inspired days."

After the emergence of the Dinosaur, came The Big Bugs, now on its introductory stop in the state of Iowa and landing on the grounds of Iowa Lakeside Laboratory from July 4th to October 4th, 2009.

Since 1990 David has refined The Big Bug project; from the method of transportation in having all of the bugs fit into a 26' straight truck with easy assemblage to developing tight craftsmanship and becoming a fan of the 'less is more' method, I saw him as the absolute engineer. The quality is superior and his talent for such an impressive feat places you in moments of wonderment.

I asked, "How does one study such creatures and then move them into giant size?" He laughed in saying, "I started off with a bunch of ants in a jar. That wasn't the best idea. They just kept franticly running around. You couldn't see anything of them." So he worked mostly from imagination and then moved into children's books. David commented, "The children's books are when I realized that the illustrators drew insects simply." So, all you need is a few details in order to create some of the most complex insects? "I knew I had it when I unloaded the shell of the ladybug and a 4-year-old girl remarked to her mother, 'Look, there's the ladybug Mommy!' "

As our conversations continued I was curious if his works have been vandalized. He said not so much, unless you call a drunk driver driving over one of them a vandal, as this has happened before. Unfortunately, there have been times when his tools were stolen and it was hard to come to terms with this. Some of these tools were from his childhood. But he reminded me that those are stages in life. You need to find ways to move forward and you do. They are transitions and we will go through more of them. This reminded me of my regret of selling some of my first artwork and I've pondered - It's gone and I do desire another look at it! Having these thoughts can be bothersome. I needed to find a way to move on. So, I made this conclusion and shared it with David. It's mostly based on my belief of this incredible Earth. "We are magical incarnations of dust and these 'things' we desire are dust. In the end we return back into energy and earth's dust is no longer needed." So from that understanding, I immediately got over having things. It's the journey and how we go about spending our mindful energy. I would rather have a clean environment and art that inspires me to move forward. David agreed with a smile.

It was an interesting day and you could tell David was passionate about his art. Any guy who is willing to walk a mile with torn knee ligaments, just to give one person a tour is impressive to say the least. He did and did it with enjoyment and I was very thankful and mindful at the end.

Hope to see you at the 150th Birthday Party for Iowa Lakeside Lab!

IOWA LAKESIDE LABORATORY ANNOUNCES CENTENNIAL JUBILEE SCHEDULE JULY 11, 2009

The public is invited to attend the official birthday party for Iowa Lakeside Laboratory on July 11, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. We hope you will bring a picnic and stay all day! All the following activities are free and open to the public.

-David Rogers Big Bugs. Open all day. Maps available at the Library/Visitor Center.

-Walking Tours. Departing from the Library every half hour beginning at 10:00; last tour at 2:00.

-Insect Cooking Demonstrations by the "Bug Chef." Mahan Hall at 11:00 and 1:00.

-Water Testing Demonstrations by Dennis Heimdal, Iowa Lakeside Lab Chemist. Waitt Building at 10:45, 11:45, 12:45, and 1:45.

-Civilian Conservation Corps Exhibit courtesy of Frank Rickels. Shimek Hall, all day.

-Virtual Tour of the Iowa Great Lakes Watershed by Mike Hawkins, Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Waitt Building at 10:00.

-Remarks and cutting of Birthday Cake. Dining Hall, 2:30. Remarks by Chris Atchison, director of the University Hygienic Lab and Rich Leopold, director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Our parking is limited so please car pool and we ask that there by no travel trailers, please!

For more information about the Centennial Celebration go to lakesidelag.org. For more information about Chef David George Gordon go to davidgeorgegordon.com. For more information about Big Bugs artist David Rogers please go to www.big-bugs.com.