Femme Fatale (African Mantis)

painting of African mantis mating — Gwenn Seemel
*Femme Fatale (African Mantis)*
2012
acrylic on panel
10 x 10 inches

Two of the four insects I painted for this series are depicted in an intimate moment. This is what it looks like when slugs mate. Below is the text from the book Crime Against Nature that goes with this image.

The sexual behavior of girls can be aggressive.

After mating, the female African mantis, along with female praying mantises of all kinds, often eats the male.

wildlife painting by Gwenn Seemel — detail image