“Mothology : Discover the Magic is a celebration of nature’s diversity, and of artistic innovation.  It excels as a unique gift for all who may be surprised and delighted by the rich natural heritage that is right before our eyes in the World Heritage Wet Tropics Rainforests of Queensland, Australia.”

- Desley Boyle

Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry

Member of the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council

“Mothology certainly exploits the wonderful colours, patterns, combinations and contrasts of moths to an impressive extent. The combination of the designs and the originals of the moths from which they are derived is inspired and will surely kindle wider interest in the use of natural subjects in design. It makes a great visual impression.”

- Ted Edwards

CSIRO

“Buck Richardson’s Mothology is the epitome of a coffee table book. Both beautiful and informative, you’ll want to keep it handy. The artwork draws one back time and again to discover more of their secrets”

- Alan Gillanders

Alan’s Wildlife Tours

“Outstanding! What appeals to me most is the warm personal touch given to the subject. Mothology showcases the true beauty of moths in all their myriad shapes and colours, both as creatures in their own right and as the basis for stunning works of art.”

- Nick Monaghan

Life Unseen

“Wonderful! I loved the stories, the personal touches. Pretty amazing work really.”

- Ian McMillan

Imbil Lepidoptera

“It is quite wonderful. The writing and the illustrations are quite inspirational.”

- Don Herbison-Evans

Caterpillars of Australian Moths

Mothology : Discover the Magic was officially launched in Cairns on Friday 10 October 2008 by Desley Boyle, Minister for Tourism, Regional Development and Industry, Member of the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council and Member for Cairns and in Kuranda on Sunday 12 October 2008 by Tom Gilmore, Mayor Tablelands Regional Council and Member of the Board of the Wet Tropics Management Authority.

Mothology : Discover the Magic is available from the following stockists from September 2008 at the recommended retail price (rrp) of $29.95

Angus & Robertson - Cairns Central Shopping Centre

Angus & Robertson - Earlville Shopping Centre

Apostrophe Book Shop - The Pier Shopping Centre

Atherton Tableland Information Centre - Cnr Main Street and Silo Road, Atherton

Australian Butterfly Sanctuary - Rob Vievers Drive, Kuranda

Australis Art - 24 Coondoo Street, Kuranda

Byblos Books - 111 Byrnes Street, Mareeba

C4 - Mission Beach

Cairns Regional Gallery Shop - corner Abbott and Shields Streets, Cairns

Cairns Tropical Zoo - Captain Cook Highway Palm Cove

Collins Booksellers - Smithfield Shopping Centre

Cooper Creek Wilderness Tours - PO Box 590 Mossman Qld 4873

Craca Art Gallery - 1 Butler Street Tully

Crystal Ball Bookstore - 96 Lake Street, Cairns

Daintree Entomological Museum - Turpentine Road Cape Tribulation

Flecker Botanical Gardens Gift Shop - Collins Street Cairns

Gallery 5 - 5 Herberton Road Atherton

Greenhouse Environment Shop - 55 Spence Street, Cairns

Hartley’s Creek Crocodile Adventures - Captain Cook Highway Hartley’s Creek

James Cook Museum - Cooktown

JCU Bookshop - JCU Campus, Smithfield

Kick Arts Gift Shop - Cairns Centre of Contemporary Art Abbott Street Cairns

Kuranda Newsagency - Coondoo Street, Kuranda

Kuranda Post Office - Thongon Street, Kuranda

Kuranda Visitor Information Centre - Kuranda

Lake Barrine Gift Shop - Lake Barrine Gilles Highway Yungaburra

Larsens Newsagency and Bookshop - Rankine Street Innisfail

Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens Friends - PO Box 6850 Mackay Mail Centre 4741

Malanda Falls Visitor Centre - Atherton/Malanda Road Malanda

Mission Beach Artists Gallery - Mission Beach

Mossman Newsagency - 35 Front Street Mossman

Palm Cove Supermarket - Upstairs Paradise Village Shopping Centre Palm Cove

Port Douglas Newsagency - Shop 4 Port Village Macrossan Street Port Douglas

Quincan Gallery - Quincan Close Yungaburra

Redland IndigiScapes Centre - 17 Runnymede Road, Capalaba

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway - Kuranda and Smithfield

Tableland Books - 11 Vernon Street, Atherton

Tableland Information Centre - Cnr Main St and Silo Rd Atherton

Tolga Woodworks Gallery - Kennedy Highway, Tolga

WA Museum Shop - Perth WA

Wait-a-While Craft Studio - 21 English Street, Malanda

Yungaburra Information Centre - Cedar Street Yungaburra

If you have a retail outlet and would like to stock, Mothology : Discover the Magic please contact me at: info@leapfrogoz.com.au

If none of these outlets is convenient for you and you would like to purchase Mothology : Discover the Magic please contact me at: info@leapfrogoz.com.au and I will send your copy for the rrp $29.95 post free.

REVIEWS

Edited version of review by Dr David Britton from the Australian Museum in Sydney for the Society for Insect Studies Circular #135

There are any number of lavishly produced colour picture books of butterflies featuring both dead and live insects, but relatively few which show images of the vast remainder of the insect order Lepidoptera. To rectify this there has been “A Guide to Australian Moths” by Paul Zborowski and Ted Edwards published last year, and now this stunning new publication by Buck Richardson, which features numerous colour photos of live moths. It highlights just a few of Australia’s many moths, but will be an eye-opener for any of you who have not spent time around a light in tropical Queensland. The “Mothology” in the title is not Buck‟s attempt to rename a branch of entomology, but refers to his use of images of moths to construct images and objects of sublime beauty and detail.

Buck’s book is first and foremost an artist’s take on moths. It is a well-bound hardcover book in 28 by 21.6cm landscape format. It consists of two parts, with the first half showing images of his source material, which are mostly macromoths which have turned up at his house in Kuranda. These are arranged by family and subfamily, but related families are not necessarily placed near each other. The quality and reproduction of the digital images is very impressive, especially given that the equipment used is not “top end” by any standards. This is a timely reminder that good technique and patience is far more important than laying out lots of cash for the best equipment. The majority of the species illustrated belong to what lepidopterist refer to as the “macromoth” families, although some of the larger micromoths make an appearance. For some moths these are probably the first published colour images of live specimens.

It is in the second half of the book that we see how Buck has realised his “Mothology” concept. Buck has mastered the use of Adobe Photoshop to manipulate his digital images to create spectacular montages of moths in a variety of formats and media. Readers may be familiar with the souvenirs from various tropical locations where images are created by montages of real butterfly wings and beetle elytra in picture frames. Let me say that Buck’s images complete transcend these attempts, and are in a league of their own. The use of the description “photoshopped” has somewhat negative connotations, implying “fake” or that the artist and photographer has taken a shortcut, but this does not apply in this case. There are many delicate touches in how he has used his moth subjects, such as in his mandala images where the outstretched antennae of repeated images of moths form interlocking borders. As someone who is familiar with the majority of species figured in his images, I found myself diving into each image to try and locate the source species, and being delighted in how the beauty and complexity of the original is multiplied many times over to create a whole new effect. The most impressive piece is probably Buck’s Mothology take on the famous 16th century Ardabil carpets. Whilst many of his other images feature only one to three species each, this has numerous species arranged in geometric interweaving and repeated patterns. In other pieces there clever nods to the geometric artist M.C. Escher, and interpretations of mandalas and other geometric art, although Buck points out that he does not imply any religious significance in his use of these forms. I think the only images that did not quite deliver for me were the flippant use of groups of his spherical moth images in an egg carton and on a billiard table. However, I‟m sure this is more a matter of personal taste.

There are a number of separate sections of text in the book which discuss the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics, the hobby of “mothing”, taxonomy, and his introduction to “Mothology”. These are written in a casual and somewhat rambling anecdotal style, but are entertaining and obviously aimed at a very broad audience

The book is a fascinating and alternative look at insects and their beauty, and I hope it encourages more photographers and naturalists to take an interest in moths. At $29.95 it is incredibly good value for a new release hardcover, especially one of this quality. I hope that Buck goes on to do more of this and we see a second volume in the series soon.

                                                                                                                                                                        - Dave Britton

Review by Jan Taylor for the Western Australia Insect Study Society Newsletter October 2008

This book could be regarded as forming a milestone in nature publication. It is about moths, the beauty of living things as seen through moths, and how this natural art can be woven by computer-generated graphics into patterns and three-dimensional pictures of surpassing excellence.

The author trained as an engineer and after a professional life moved to live in tropical rainforest at Kuranda, north Queensland. Over the years since he started this new life, he has taken photographs of local moths coming into the house and to street lamps and built up an album of over 300 species. Many of these are presented, mainly on a black background, in 26 pages of the book. This forms a good introduction to the beauty and diversity of moths, and although from Queensland rainforest, many are recognisable as ones also found in WA or to have near relatives here.

There is little text in the book – he introduces his interest in moths in an anecdotal way incidentally leading the reader into some basic background information, even entering the field of modern taxonomy, referring to a database being built on the lepidoptera of the world which includes specific DNA bar codes.

The final 24 pages present computer-generated artworks based on his digital photographs. Many are arranged in mandala-like patterns, others have been projected onto shiny spheres, some with a jewel-like quality. His designs have also been made into pure silk scarves and posters. He was even inspired by a Persian carpet design to produce a moth version. These can all be viewed and purchased from his website.

It is a book for those who have a general interest and love art and nature. It may inspire people to look more closely at moths and become hooked on “mothology”. The book can also be useful for identification purposes.– Jan Taylor.

Review by Chris Lambkin and Geoff Thompson for the Entomological Society of Queensland News Bulletin October 2008

Magic indeed! In this book Buck Richardson has managed to juxtapose his love of art and interest in moths. As entomologists, we are all aware of the beauty of the patterns and amazing colours of Lepidoptera. However it is fantastic to see a member of the general public developing not only an awareness of the biodiversity of moths, but also an understanding of the importance of taxonomic principles. By collaborating with a diverse group of amateur, professional, and retired entomologists, Bucks’ amazing photographs of the 350 odd species of moth found in his local area have been amalgamated into a beautiful and useful reference to the moths of the rainforests of north Queensland, if not Australia. Buck does not claim to be an entomologist, but his written information is clear, well organised, informative, and very readable.

As for the digital images Buck has produced from his photographs of moths and presented in this book, and in the associated limited edition prints, Giclee prints on canvas, posters, scarves, 3D stars, mobiles, wall plates..... Truly amazing! These beautiful works demonstrate Buck’s love of colour and pattern, mastery of digital design, quirky sense of fun, and passion for attention to detail.

This book is not just a coffee table addition for those requiring the latest collectable book. This is a book that you’ll want to look at again and again. As Buck says, ‘There is nothing subtle about the patterns on the wings of some moths. Simple or complex, bold or tonal in colour, always perfectly symmetrical, the variety astounding, these are truly beautiful creatures.’ The same applies to the designs that Buck has created.

Mothology: Discover the Magic is available from many shops in the Cairns region and from Kuranda Kreations at

www.leapfrogoz.com.au for the very reasonable price of $29.95. The associated limited edition prints, Giclee prints on canvas, posters, scarves (also available at the Queensland Museum South Bank's Explorer Shop), mobiles, wall plates (around $55), and 3D stars (around $250) may also be obtained from Kuranda Kreations. Chris knows where she will be shopping for Christmas!

                                                                                                                                            - Chris Lambkin & Geoff Thompson

Review by Ted Edwards for Myrmecia, News Bulletin of the Australian Entomological Society November 2008

Visitors to collections of moths frequently remark on the seemingly endless variety of colours, shapes and patterns on their wings.

Juxtaposed bright colours often achieve a surprising harmony which can provide a wealth of new ideas for designs for fabric or print. In spite of the resolutions of such visitors few moth- based patterns and designs reach the market and those that do are usually of imaginary moths or crudely delineated European butterflies.

Buck Richardson has acted on his inspiration and masterfully employed beautiful colour photographs of resting live moths to produce a brilliant display of patterns and motifs. This full colour book starts with a very personal introduction to moths and details the author’s fascination with them, stories of his experiences and some points of view about moths and their biology. The style makes for interesting and entertaining reading. The term “mothology” is typical of the innovative spirit in the book as, while it might irritate some etymologists and entomologists, it is perfectly descriptive and self- explanatory. This introduction is fun, chatty and

non-scientific but makes informative reading, but should not be taken too seriously by the pedant.

The author then goes on to illustrate some 370 species of (mostly) macro-moths found in his garden and about the town of Kuranda, Qld. These are all given their scientific names and it is greatly to the author’s credit that he has gone to some trouble to obtain correct names for the moths illustrated. Many of the moths are shown against a black background and the author and

printer are to be congratulated that the colour saturation of the images is such that almost all show up well and few of the patterns are lost in the black. These identified illustrations of moths represent a very useful resource for the collector and curator as many species from this World Heritage Area will not be found illustrated elsewhere.

The last third of the book takes the wonderful patterns of the moths and uses their elemental elegance to generate a host of colourful and imaginative designs. Moths are repeated in patterns, in plan form, globes, stars and mandalas. This is a fascinating spectacle of colour and design for any eye. These patterns are reminiscent of the displays produced by F.P. Dodd last century using set specimens but, with modern digital photography and image manipulation, such displays can now be taken much further. This book uses these techniques to the full.

The author does have an agenda and the book is a gentle way of advertising his (and his wife’s) art as many of the designs are available commercially as silk-screen-printed scarves, posters and calendars, but in doing so he generously gives the reader much to appreciate without obligation to buy more than the book.

                                                                                                                                                                                     -Ted Edwards

Review by Peter Hendry and Lois Hughes for Metamorphosis Australia, Magazine of the Butterfly and Other Invertabrates Club December 2008

This is a book in two parts. In the first, Buck describes his introduction to moths and displays images of some 360 live moths. The second part illustrates the computer-generated artwork Buck has created from his moth images. It is my intention to comment on the first part and for Lois Hughes, our resident artist, to comment on the second.

In the introduction Buck first talks about the World Heritage listed Wet Tropics, followed by a section titled “Gone Mothing”. In this section I found many parallels with my own experience into the introduction of the moth world. I particularly enjoyed how he went about naming moths before discovering their true name! Hawk moths were known as “Concordes” and names like “big rich brown with orange middle” and “two-tone green” were used. My imagination does not carry that far and any moth I recognise but cannot remember its name, I just call “Me Mate”! By the end of a night’s mothing I can have a light sheet full of “Me Mates”, all different and belonging to different families!! Buck then goes on to talk about “Taxonomics” followed by images of some of Australia’s most beautiful moths.

While not a scientific work, it is a wonderful resource of moth images, all with scientific name, family and sub family where applicable. I noted that in a review of this book by Dave Britton, for the Society for Insect Studies, he mentions an error. On page 13 the moth labelled Zelleria isopyrrha Arctiidae Lithosiinae, is in fact Calamidia hirta. Z. isopyrrha belongs to the family Yponomautidae. All of the images were taken at Kuranda, North Queensland but many of these moths have come to light here at Sheldon, South Queensland and many will occur further south.

I would recommend this book to any with an interest in our natural history or all things beautiful. My only criticism is that I am not a fan of the landscape format in which it is presented.

                                                                                                                                                                           - Peter Hendry

“Vision sets you free from the limitations of what the eyes can see and allows you to enter into the liberty of what the heart can feel.  It is vision that makes the unseen visible and the unknown possible.” (This quote is taken from the Foreword of “The Principles and Power of Vision” by Dr. Myles Munroe.)

Buck Richardson has tapped into this source, which sets his book and art works above the ordinary.  As my assignment is to comment on the artistic merits of his work I will leave the correctness or otherwise of the scientific aspects of it to those considered qualified to do so. Time will reveal the truth of those theories and assumptions.

In the first 11 pages, Buck leads us on a delightful journey of discovery and reaches out with refreshing enthusiasm, seeking to draw us into this secret and mysterious world of these creatures of the night, perhaps hoping that we too will be captivated, obsessed even, with “mothology”.  His quirky sense of humour is evident throughout the book as well as in his art works, eg. his substitution of “Forward” with “Forewing”sets the tone from the very beginning.

He gently challenges us to not only conserve but to actually celebrate and pursue life, not exploiting, but living harmoniously with and being good “care-takers” of the land we have been entrusted with, for the benefit of all.  He leads by example.

From pages 12 to 39 his stunning moth photos are a feast for the eyes.  Decoratively displayed (and named) many on black backgrounds, some merging mysteriously, as if still camouflaged by the blanket of darkness from which they came.  My very favourite is of a stunning Hawk Moth, Daphnis protrudens, on page 35.  Coming a close second is the large Spirama recessa, with huge eyes, looking like “a man with a moustache”!

On pages 40 and 41 Buck reveals that his interest in moths began from a photographer’s point of view and I quote –

“When each of my images came up on the computer screen for the first time I was constantly amazed and delighted at the variety of these truly beautiful creatures.  The patterns on their wings, simple or complex, bold or tonal in

colour, always perfectly symmetrical were captivating ... and stimulating.  It was not long before I was manipulating them as elements in grander patterns which I called mothology.”

In the next 24 pages the culmination of those creatively manipulated images are gloriously reproduced on spheres, mandalas and stars, a mobile of mandalas in jeweled cases, boldly patterned silk scarves aptly titled “Silk Moths”, limited and open edition Giclee prints and posters boldly and brightly patterned   At first glance you notice the wonderful designs and colours but as you continue to look you realize that each one is composed of a myriad of moth images and the harder you look the more you find.  A truly joyful experience!

The book itself is beautifully laid out with great attention to detail, eg. the moth outline enclosing the page numbers is a nice touch. The visual impact is simply stunning.  Not for Buck the dead specimens of trophy moths, encased, but gloriously alive creatures, reproduced, to frame and hang or proudly wear, intricate and beautiful, humorous and inspirational.  Discover the magic for yourself.

                                                                                                                                                                         - Lois Hughes