Insect taxidermist who showcases bugs watching pornography and dancing on stripper poles urges others to ‘be different’

An insect taxidermist who turns dead bugs into unique sculptures, such as beetles watching pornography and dancing on stripper poles, has urged others to “be different” and “crave the uncomfortable”.

Shelby Walton, 27, an artist who also works full-time at a supermarket, became enamoured with collecting dead insects and pressing plants while spending a year at a wilderness therapy camp at the age of 16, where they “found a lot of comfort in the creepy crawlies”.

Seeking to reclaim their sense of identity after leaving the programme, Shelby, based in Denver, Colorado, turned their passion into creating a business around bug-related artwork, sourcing dead beetles, butterflies, dragonflies and scorpions to make unique pressed pieces in frames or sculptures in glass domes.

While Shelby started with “very tame natural scenes”, their work has since evolved to showcase the “provocative” with bugs using sex toys, sitting on the toilet or watching pornography and Shelby “spends hours laughing” while creating them.

Shelby now sells their wares online and at markets around the United States, where they charge anywhere from 69 dollars (£51) for a small framed piece up to 400 dollars (£297) for a larger scene.

Along the way, Shelby said they receive mixed reactions where some are thrilled by the uniqueness of their work, while others ask “what the hell is this?” – but the medium has ultimately given Shelby a way to “express” themselves and “rediscover (their) values”.

“Be f****** different,” Shelby told PA Real Life.

“Not being like anybody else was something that plagued me for years, but that is the point, that’s what all of this is about.

“I crave the uncomfortable now as that’s somewhere I feel safe and understood.

“My artwork gives me a sense of individuality where I know that I’m a little bit weirder and freakier than a lot of other people, and I like that.

“Who cares if you make people uncomfortable? That’s their problem.”

Shelby was brought up in a religious town in Colorado called Colorado Springs but they struggled to follow any faith.

“I’ve come to a point where I fully respect what anybody ever wants for their life and I think religion can be such a beautiful thing for people,” they said.

“For me, I could just never fit into the mould, I just have this undying need to never conform to what other people are asking of me.”

At the age of 16, struggling with their mental health, Shelby attended a wilderness therapy programme for “troubled teenagers” in Georgia.

The one-year programme is designed to help teenagers escape bad influences and daily struggles in a wilderness environment.

It was here Shelby developed a passion for pressing plants and collecting dead insects.

“I initially turned to it from a place of feeling very isolated and needing a creative outlet to find healing in that,” Shelby said.

“I was in the woods so I was around bugs and little creatures every single day, I just found a lot of comfort in the creepy crawlies.”

After completing the programme in 2015, Shelby felt like they lost their sense of self – and began brainstorming ideas to turn their new-found passion into artwork.

“Finding my art, being able to express myself and rediscovering my values through a medium that was tangible was really important to me,” they said.

Shelby said the first few pieces they created were “very tame natural scenes”, which included bugs riding bicycles and pressed butterflies, dragonflies or scorpions in a frame.

Their work has since evolved into more complex constructions which show a selection of “provocative scenes”.

“I made some bugs that are sitting on the computer and they’re watching porn, which is two insects mating on the screen,” Shelby said.

“I’ll also do bugs using vibrators, bugs sitting on the toilet.

“The stripper bugs I make are my most popular pieces – I’ll use a barbecue skewer which I’ll paint with silver and I’ll do a resin for the floors with little dollar bills.”

Shelby also said one of their creations around Easter showed a bug being crucified with “fake blood dripping off of the cross” – an idea they were “sitting on for a while”.

“I get a lot of positive responses from people as it’s very unique, it’s unlike anything people have seen,” Shelby said.

“People seem to like it, it’s fun for me, it’s silly and I’m spending hours making these pieces while laughing to myself the whole time.”

For their pieces, of which they have made “hundreds” in total, Shelby said they “gravitate mostly” towards using beetles as there is a variety of shapes, sizes and colours to work with.

“They’re also the easiest to work with because their exoskeletons are easy to manipulate into different positions,” Shelby added.

Shelby sources the bugs from a large insect supplier where the creatures have died naturally, or they said some of their friends and co-workers will give them “a dead bug they have found”.

To get the insects into their desired positions, Shelby said they will “break their legs” and glue them back into place.

For the sets, they will thrift the miniature items, meaning a lot of the pieces are “one-offs” as some of the scenes cannot be replicated.

Shelby has found a clever way around this, however.

“I got a set of dollhouse-sized sex toys from eBay and I made silicone moulds of out of them, so now I make however many I need to,” they said.

Shelby has since started selling their pieces online or at various markets and expositions around the US.

For a stripper bug, Shelby charges around 170 dollars, (£126), while the domed sculptures in general range from 100 dollars (£74) to 400 dollars (£297) depending on their size.

The framed pieces start at 69 dollars (£51) and go up 80 dollars (£59).

While the reaction is largely positive, Shelby said some people look at their creations and say: “What the hell is this?”

“I never take it personally, it doesn’t hurt my feelings and I really understand why somebody would be put off by it,” Shelby said.

“I usually enjoy those conversations because I think it’s really cool to talk to people and offer a different perspective.”

At present, Shelby is taking part in the Oddities & Curiosities Expo, a travelling event which showcases weird and wonderful artists and creators from all around the world.

Shelby will attend shows in cities around the States, with the next one in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they will gear their pieces towards the location and sell their artwork.

Looking ahead, Shelby said they will always have an “itch” to express themselves creatively.

“I have spent so many years of my life being uncomfortable all the time, and seeing that as something to avoid,” they said.

“It’s so important to feel that way though, I think that’s where you grow the most.”

To find out more about Shelby’s artwork follow @curi_oddities on Instagram.