Trees Cocooned in Spider Webs After Pakistan Flood [Must See]

An unexpected side-effect of the flooding in parts of Pakistan last year has been that millions of spiders were driven up into the trees to escape the rising flood waters. Because of the scale of the flooding and the fact that the water has taken so long to recede, spiders have built massive webs on trees turning them into ghostly cocoons. Such a phenomenon has never been seen before.

On the flip side, people in Sindh have reported fewer mosquitos than they would have expected given the amount of stagnant water in the area. It is thought the mosquitoes are getting caught in the spiders' webs, reducing their numbers and the associated risk of malaria.







Photos: Russell Watkins, U.K. Department for International Development

Eye Deceiving Wall Murals by John Pugh

California based artist John Pugh specializes in the art of in ‘trompe l’oeil’, which means 'to deceive the eye’ in French. Pugh uses his skills to create huge 3D scenes on the side of buildings that fools the eye. Take for instance the wall mural painted on a wall in Los Gatos, California. It looks as if an earthquake had shaken away the walls of these buildings to reveal Egyptian architecture hidden inside. And that woman peering into the ruins? She is not real either.

The 'earthquake' work shown here is located on Main Street in the town of Los Gatos and was created following a genuine earthquake in 1989.



John inserts a passer-by into the mural painted in Santa Cruz, California, entitled Bay in a Bottle, who is watching the ocean scene

A mural entitled Art Imitating Life Imitating Art Imitating Life, at the Cafe Trompe L'oeil, in San Jose, California

Valentine's Day, a mural unveiled during the Global Mural Conference in Twentynine Palms, California

John Pugh's Mana Nalu mural in Honolulu. Fire crews rushed to save the children from the mighty wave - before realising it was an optical illusion

A wall mural on a sidewalk in Sarasota County Health Center, Florida

Joe Simpson’s Cinematic Oil Paintings

London based artist Joe Simpson, by utilizing his incredible talent to paint realistically, stages fictitious scenes with a strong hint at cinematography - the consistent use of the ‘widescreen’ format and theatrical lighting. Needless to say, his works are breathtaking.
In this gallery we present some of his best works. (Also see Movie Like Hyper-Realistic Paintings by Damian Loeb)

Ultra Realistic Still Life Paintings by Luciano Ventrone

Luciano Ventrone was born in Rome in 1942 and moved to Denmark at the age of four, where he hosted by Lady Metha Petersen – a wealthy and most of all a lovely woman who lavished him with gifts. Among them was a box of colored pencils…and from that time colors have shaped his life.

Returning to Italy after his compulsory education and due to his family situation, Ventrone had several jobs but nevertheless, in 1960 he managed to attend Arts school in Rome. After graduating in 1964, he studied Architecture until 1968 and then joined the student protests and decides to abandon his studies and dedicate his life to painting – which he never abandoned and was his only source of income at that time. His life drawings were published in the Academic book (“Human anatomy – the central nervous system”) written by Prof. Gastone Lambertini of Cattolica University in Rome.




















[via Design Your Trust]