Barbara Broughel's insect catchers are homemade devices, reminiscent of eighteenth century instruments intended to aid in the observation of nature. Wryly humorous and slightly sinister, they appear to be made by an obsessive investigator. These are accompanied by meticulous Nihonga paintings that employ a Japanese watercolor technique from the same period, in which animal glues mixed with mineral pigments are applied in numerous fine layers onto silk, which is then mounted on paper. Although the drawings appear to be highly representational, quirky aspects of the individual bugs are depicted that belie the interest of the artist. This series is part of a larger work, Studies in Perspective, Optics and the Legibility of Nature.