Path To Extinction
A mixed media fine art piece about the possible extinction of the honey bee due to pesticides, genetically modified organisms (GMO), and the corporations behind it.
Come see this 4ft by 4ft, motorized, revolving watercolor mixed media painting at Sepsis 21. The Gallery Zero 936 SE 34th Ave, Portland, OR 97214. Visit www.sepsis21.com for more information about the show and other artists.
About My Work With The Bees:
I decided to become a bee keeper in the Spring of 2013. It has not been long, but I have been through so much already.
I began researching every Youtube video I could find on bee keeping and decided after hours of viewing, I wanted to become a beekeeper. My love for these pollinators began as a curiosity and then turned into a full on love affair. I am now obsessed with bees and the iceburg of information that comes with them. To study bees you must also study government regulation, corporate policy, scientific studies, entomology, gardening, chemistry, politics and beekeeper's observations. This subject is not simple, it is ALL connected, just like the honey comb. Once you start on the journey to really understanding bees, you start understanding humanity. I have read countless articles online, poured through stacks taller than me of bee books I borrowed from my public library, was mentored by a couple experienced bee keepers, joined my local bee club, visited my local bee supply store and discussed the issues with friends. In May I bought my first Nuc and started my hive in a home made hexagon shaped bee hive. I began blogging about my experience as an organic, treatment-free beekeeper at www.autumnsapiary.blogspot.com. I posted my hive inspection observations and photos to go with it. Unfortunately my hive died in July. I grieved for them and basically stopped posting. I will try again next spring and use the winter to do more research. I began incorporating bees into my artwork as soon as I began observing them in my own yard. I spent hours sitting on the edge of my raised bed watching the bees leave to forage and return with pollen baskets full. I used photos I took of them and began drawing hives and queens. My art regularly incorporates bees or honey comb into it now. |
About This Artwork:
I began my work on the Path To Extinction at the end of June 2013. Obsessed with bees and wanting an outlet to share my findings, I began working on a motorized, revolving painting that would tell a story.
One evening after doing a test, I decided to make the piece in an M.C. Escher style to morph the subjects into each other. I painstakingly drew out a system hexagons and then got to work fitting a drawing with in the boundaries of those dimensions. It took a better part of 8 hours to figure that out, but finally I was ready to paint. I drew in a giant hexagon dot grid directly onto the prepared canvas and then began painting. The canvas rotates into the following sections: Honey Comb Scientific Beakers An Army of Soldiers Bees in Gas Masks Human Skulls Corporate Buildings with Currency Rooftops There are several ways of interpreting the piece, and I will let you decide how you want to do that. The metal frame was custom built to hold the rollers, Arduino moter and canvas. When plugged in the canvas makes 2 revolutions in 4 minutes when triggered by a motion sensor. This is not only a piece of great art, it is a piece of exquisite engineering. |
Links:
www.autumnsapiary.blogspot.com
What is Monsanto Doing to Our Bees? Scientist's Discover What's Killing the Bees and it's Worse Than You Thought Crop Pollination Exposes Honey Bees to Pesticides Which Alters Their Susceptibility to the Gut Pathogen Nosema ceranae Europe Bans Pesticides Thought Harmful to Bees Controversial pesticides down but not out Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees Robotic Bees to Pollinate Monsanto Crops Robobees Rise Of The Robotic Bees Books on bees Uphill fight to Ban Bee-Killing Toxins Beyond Toxins.org Follow my Facebook facebook.com/autumnsteamartist for current articles I find and share. |
