Three years ago I was on the television show "Monsters and Mysteries in America", having been a witness to, well, an odd "apparition" while fishing on the Musconetcong River in New Jersey.
My only real frustration with the episode --despite much of my testimony taken out of context and edited to fit the program's own storyline model-- was their depiction of the "monster"; basically a cartoonish praying mantis of improbable size.
Not the case at all. I had even submitted sketches to the Producers prior to the taping; sketches I used to paint the small panel shown here. The other witness on the episode also describes a Humanoid. So why the program opted to depict a giant bug is not clear.
I had pretty much forgotten about all of this after the airing of the show. But last weekend I came across a recent special issue of Weird, NJ magazine--"Jersey Devils, Bizarre Beasts and other Creatures of Weird NJ"-- and in it was an article about The Mantis Man. Out of curiosity, I later googled the phrase and was amazed to see how much this mantis meme had grown and morphed. In many ways, it reminded me of the children of The Lost Tribe scene from the film: "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome"-- how myth, legend and even religion grow and deviate from some vague, distant truth.
Regardless. In that search I also found the continuation of the giant bug idea-- an imprint, it seems, perpetrated by the show.
I won't delve into my own ideas or theories of what it was I saw that day. This is, after all, an art blog-- although both the subject and theme here are wild tangents from my usual fare. So be it. As a piece of art I certainly don't consider it to be anywhere near my best. Figure drawing has never been my strong suit. I did take some artistic license with the "Flora", so to speak-- giving it a more prehistoric feel. And the painting overall sufficiently captures a definite creepiness. It's unusual-- and, well, a mystery.
UPDATE, 10/23: I was recently a guest on the Shadowland Podcast discussing the untold aspects of my Mantis Man encounter and other experiences with the paranormal. You can listen here: Shadowland: Episode 79: Eyes of the Mantis with Special Guest Paul Jacks on Apple Podcasts
Related Posts: Wry Smiles and Robberies.
Photo:
Paul Jacks, "The Mantis Man", 9" X 12", acrylic on panel, November 2014. For Sale Here.