GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — If you ask her what her favorite insect is, Bette Carlson will show you all of them at her ArtPrize exhibit.

"This is a twig praying mantis, a stick praying mantis, and a flower praying mantis," Carlson said as she pointed to some of her ArtPrize paintings.

For the past nine months, Carlson has been working on Insects of the World , a collection of canvas paintings that feature a giant praying mantis at the top of her entry.

The paintings can be found at Degage Ministries' Open Door Bakery, the retail business side of the women's homeless shelter.

For Carlson, the bakery is symbolic, a glimpse into an organization that helps women who were once in the same spot as her.

"I've been homeless three times in my life, none of which were of my making, and I was excite

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