Welcome

Welcome, this site is intended to be a central place to find content about Dean and his herpetology and other endeavors so it is not lost to antiquity.

Dean was a very good friend of mine for the short time I lived in Wilmington, and I make this effort to honor his memory and keep his efforts of exploring nature and the arts alive.

Dean lived at the end of Orange Street in an apartment above the serpentarium and I lived a few blocks up Orange Street.

Dean lived in a place in life that most could only ever dream of, between the frontier of herpetology and the world of an artist.

Dean was the best friend I ever had, and unfortunately his life was ended way too soon as I only got to share 10 years with him.

I'd give anything to go back and spend a few hours with him, and this anthology of writings and other media about him will let me get as close to that as I can for now.

Captive care of B.asper

This article mentions Dean multiple times

Captive care of B.asper

Dean's Paintings

Dean was a prolific painter and studied under Salvador Dali.

One of several of my paintings in the collection of William S. Burroughs (image courtesy Estate of William S. Burroughs). This one I painted after living with voodooists in Haiti in the mid-1980s. The title is "Phantom Limbs" and the black, dead, spontaneously amputating arm is reminiscent of the necrotic effects of fer-de-lance bite, a fact I did not even notice until William pointed it out to me, after buying the painting to hang in his living room. Thus I was subconsciously channeling my future snakebites, in South America, Asia, and Africa. The image depicts a demonic paroxysm of hideous self-awareness.

Phantom Limbs

Facebook

Dean's Facebook Page

To The Best Of Our Knowledge Podcast

Dean Ripa on the Cape Fear Serpentarium