The tarantula hawk (Pompilionae genus) is a large, glossy blue-black wasp from the desert regions of North America known for its habit of hunting spiders significantly larger than itself. It is also famous for having one of the most painful stings of any insect, rated a 4 on the Schmidt Pain Index. Justin Schmidt, the entomologist who developed the method of ranking the painful qualities of insect stings, noted that the best response to being stung by a tarantula hawk was to lie down (so you don't injure yourself thrashing around in the desert) and scream (so the pain has somewhere to go). I find these animals to be some of the most beautiful and powerful creatures I've ever encountered.
This is a five-color screenprint; four layers with a split-fountain fade on the fourth. It's entirely handmade and hand-printed by me, no computers involved, on a lovely heavyweight steel-grey French paper.
