IU - What kind of What Labyrinth should I make? What is my site-specific message?

I wrestled with this question. There was not anything in either of Kurt Vonnegut’s books that inspired me. I do feel he wrote about what he knows and my work should be true to my own heart. A list of the obvious came to my mind- butterfly, chrysalis, beatle, seed, flower, IU letters…….

After a full day at the Eskenazie Museum on IU’s campus I was intrigued by this piece.

The museum label read-

According to traditional Bamana beliefs, an energy or force called nyama animates the universe. Objects such as this boli are made to harness that energy and use it for the benefit of the community. The thick, crusty surface is the result of offerings such as millet, other vegetal matter, beer, and chicken or goat blood, all of which are applied to attract nyama and serve as physical evidence of its presence. A boli does not represent a particular creature.

It is kind of perfect., should I make another bison? Can I make a Boli bison labyrinth?

I can see it.

Here are the steps I took

More to come tomorrow.

Planet Popsicles — and spam

I received a spam email this summer with a bold photo of a popsicle asking, “How do you cool off in the heat of the summer?” I immediately thought about how the planet cools off. That spam email inspired these ephemeral sculptures, I used the materials mother nature uses to cool the planet.

PLANET POPSICLES

6” X 1” X 12” ephemeral

Sticks, H20, Passionflower, Fall obedient plant, and American Beautyberry

PLANET POPSICLES

6” X 6” X 24” ephemeral

Sticks, H20, Passionflower, Fall obedient plant, and American Beautyberry, Beatles, Pokeweed, Scarbs, Golden Rod, passed butterflies, and passed moths

Land Art vs Living Sculpture

Land art or earth art has paved the way for what I hope will become a new art movement.

The Tate defines Land art or earth art as the art made directly in the landscape, sculpting the land itself into earthworks or making structures in the landscape using natural materials such as rocks or twigs. With the Tate's definitions, Symbiosis is land art, a part of the conceptual art movement, and environmental art.

What separates Symbiosis from these traditional classifications of art are the concepts I apply to my creative decision-making process and the materials I use support and regenerate life. It values all living creatures as participants in the creative process.

My process for creating a living sculpture involves holistic decision-making. First, I incorporate a systems thinking approach to create a functional balance between the healthy ecosystem, human economics and societal landscape norms. For example, contemporary landscape designs are structured in monocrop rows or groupings separated with bare earth. To maintain the manicured design, weed-killing chemicals and gas-operated mowers and edgers are the most economical. This lack of plant diversity, geometric-in-shape groomed plantings, and chemical inputs make these landscapes uninhabitable for a diversity of wildlife other than a few lizards. For many valuable insects and microorganisms, the inputs are deadly. These designs do not consider supporting the food chain necessary in a healthy ecosystem. In Symbiosis, I keep the ground covered with a diversity of plantings that drift in and out of each other and with the seasons; this provides camouflage from predators, nesting materials, and a variety of nourishment all year. Weeds fit into this landscape and help build the microorganisms and structure or armature in the soil. This less structured planting design is balanced with a classical symmetrical layout. Symbiosis is designed to build the food chain. The maintenance required is easily accomplished with handheld clippers. The clippings are put back into the garden to decompose by insects and natural systems that build the soil health and retain water and carbon, or into a vase to be enjoyed. Ultimately Lawndale benefits economically through lower maintenance, chemical inputs, and utility costs, while enjoying a toxin-free environment—living sculpture.

I use materials that support plants and wildlife specific to the site's ecological history. I begin with a water source, animal waste and decaying plant materials native to the area. These materials build habitat and nourishment for microorganisms in the soil, in the water feature and up the food chain to sustain each other in extreme Texas weather. When combined with our clay soil they: store carbon, cool and return water to the aquifer, support life beneficial to humans and keep harmful pests at bay. In addition, they assist in cleaning the air, slowing rainwater, and reducing land erosion.

For example, I have created symbiotic relationships between humans, mosquitos, dragonflies, fish, and chemical-free water. In a hot environment, animals need a freshwater source to drink and reproduce. I installed a small pond without a filter or pump. Using plants to filter the water, I utilize the eating and waste habits of the Texas Mosquitofish to control the algae and build the water's biology. Mosquitos and dragonflies are attracted to still water with a balance of healthy bacteria and algae to deposit their larvae. The larvae become protein for the fish. Attracted by the water source, the dragonflies hover above the garden and on dried plant materials hunting mosquitos, supporting human health. Lawndale benefits economically by not utilizing an electric pump, needing a mosquito misting machine or pesticides and enjoys the beauty of the water feature and a kinetic, ephemeral rainbow of dragonflies hovering and darting over the living sculpture.

In Symbiosis, as the lower food chains develop, it begins to regenerate life and recover what is lost. Perpetual, it is art for now and future generations. In a living sculpture, the ways to evaluate it are space, shape, line, color, texture and regeneration.

I submit below images and descriptions of symbiotic relationships, ephemeral parts of the installation from April 2021-April 2022.

Land art perspective of Symbiosis.  Aerial view of Lawndale garden. Image by Nash Baker.
Gulf fritillary

Gulf fritillary caterpillar on a consumed passionflower vine Passiflora Incarnata.

Lady bug pupae on a mile a minute vine.

Dung loving birds nest fungus

Gulf Fritillary butterfly on rosin weed sunflower. It roots can extend 16’.

image by Nash Baker courtesy of Lawndale Art Center

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) on Monarda citriodora lemon beebalm image by Nash Baker courtesy of Lawndale Art Center.

Gulf fritillary butterfly on Gulf verain Verbena xutha image by Nash Baker courtesy of Lawndale Art Center

Battus philenor a pipevine swallowtail

Gulf fritillary on Rudkeckia hirta

Long-tailed skipper Urbanus proteus on Salvia azure

Junonia coenia the common buckeye butterfly on a blanket flower Gaillardia puchella with dew drops.

Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) on scarlet sage Salvia coccinea.

Gulf Fritillary butterfly on purple cone flower

Red arrow Rhodothemis lieftincki on dead olive tree limb.

Mosquito control and water source for winged species.

Past bushy blue stem and Seaside Golden rod. I leave them through March so the winds can spread their seeds to other gardens, and to provide shelter for birds, tree frogs, toads, and field mice.

Plathemis Whitetail Skimmer

Mosquito control and water source for winged species.

Past bushy blue stem and Seaside Golden rod. I leave them through March so the winds can spread their seeds to other gardens, and to provide shelter for birds, tree frogs, toads, and field mice.

White skipper and blanket flower

Brown skipper and

Brown skipper and Rudbeckia hirta

Symbiosis - squirrels

I have not seen squirrels in the sculpture. I recently read in Science Daily, Personality matters, even for squirrels. The article is interesting as it is a window into the natural world. I expect these characteristics are valid in most species. I also found the availability of a perch important in creating a sculpture that supports urban wildlife. I have placed stumps in the garden

Squirrel studyCharcoal and ink

Squirrel study

Charcoal and ink

Squirrel study Charcoal and ink

Squirrel study

Charcoal and ink

Squirrel movement study Charcoal and ink

Squirrel movement study

Charcoal and ink

Armadillos and termites

Termites - to quote @gjklement,” termites are the ultimate grazers” last week, after we harvested our turkeys @roamranch, we went on a hike along the pastures to Indian Cave Creek. Along the way, we saw an abundance of armadillos eating termites. This trip was my 6th trip to the ranch and the first time to see any armadillos on the property, much less numerous armadillos or notice any termites. It is a sign the soil is regenerating - it is a good thing. Armadillos play an essential role in the Texas landscape both in agricultural settings and in urban population centers. They eat Termites keeping them in check. The termites are essential in building functioning ecosystems. As an art activist, I want to change the way we see nature. #regenerativeagriculture #regenerativeart #cindeeklementart #bioart #cobservationart #artactivist #texasartist #houstonartist #womansculptor #art #sculpture

A prairie rising

Armand Bayou Nature Center

Prairie Rising:

The Armand Vayou Nature Center is a great example of the ecology and restoration of a local coastal tall grass prairie. It is great to see Texans committed to preserving natural systems. With the social unrest, a universal pandemic crippling our economies I can’t help but think about what we can learn from biological systems; the importance of species diversity, the importance of healthy bacteria, the importance of whole organic foods, the importance if finding a balance between humans and wildlife in all spaces including urban population centers. What that looks like is the focus of ny 2021 work.

After seeing the above article I was sitting at a stop light when I noticed this grass preserving in a sea of asphalt. Nature is amazing and will always win. Our challenge as humans is to learn how to live with it, preserve and respect it. In the en…

After seeing the above article I was sitting at a stop light when I noticed this grass preserving in a sea of asphalt. Nature is amazing and will always win. Our challenge as humans is to learn how to live with it, preserve and respect it. In the end nature will always win. We can incorporate the coastal prairie landscape into Houston’s urban landscape.

Happy Soil Day.

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Happy National Soil Day. Notice the length of the root system of this turf grass-just a few inches. 👎

🤔

The image I posted is not soil to be celebrated.It is what I call mindless conformity 🤨AND - now for the good news- 🌱☘️🍀☘️🌿

It is an opportunity to help save our planet and that we should celebrate.

Let me explain- this is the typical ground cover that covers 99.99% of the homes in the United States. It is a mono-crop of turfgrass. Monocrops are not healthy for soil. Mother Nature needs diversity to be healthy. To go against nature, homeowners have to apply chemical inputs to keep their monocrop turf grass looking perfect. These fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides kill all the living matter. They also kill our insects and valuable Keystone species.

In contrast, healthy soil, especially on the coastal prairie, is a sponge for soaking up rainwater and keeping our planet cool. Houston was a coastal prairie covered in native grasses that had massive roots systems. Some extended 18’. The coastal prairie has the capability to absorb massive amounts of moisture/water. They also act as a filter to clean the water and retain water. Water held in healthy soil is how the planet cools itself. Healthy soil also sequesters carbon out of the air and puts it back into the soil. The coastal Prairie plays a large role in the global environment. Houstonians have paved, asphalted, and covered in turf grass 600 square miles that makeup Houston. Reimaging urban landscapes is an opportunity to save our planet. Turfgrass covers more acreage in the US than farmed land. 🤠 this is an easy way to comply with mother nature. I am using ny art to find ways to reimagined urban landscapes to work with mother nature Healthy soil= healthy people. Happy soil day. #cindeeklementart #artactivism #bioart #soilart #art #conservationart #soil #regenerativeart.

Another conservation benefit from COVID 19 - Sea Turtle numbers are up during 2020

It is amazing how naturere can reguvinate itself when humans step back. We should ask our selves what does this tell us? How can we benefit from this observation?

Sea turtles in Florida

Green turtle nests:

  • 2020: 8,110 (unexpectedly high for a "low year")

  • 2019: 15,784 (record, "high year")

  • 2018: 1,230 (typical "low year")

Loggerhead nests:

  • 2020: 12,968

  • 2019: 10,813

  • 2018: 11,901

Leatherback nests:

  • 2020: 40

  • 2019: 36

  • 2018: 17

These watercolor monotypes are the pieces I discovered my technique on.Fragility study 30” X 22”

These watercolor monotypes are the pieces I discovered my technique on.

Fragility study 30” X 22”

Here I experimented with how wet my paper was. I love the running color on this particular piece. It would not work for everything.

Here I experimented with how wet my paper was. I love the running color on this particular piece. It would not work for everything.

Fragility- Kaleidoscope2017Watercolor monotype30” X 22”

Fragility- Kaleidoscope

2017

Watercolor monotype

30” X 22”

A note from my Uncle and artist John Warren Travis recalling the landscapes that have shaped his work and words- genes are strange and mysterious creatures.

i arrived in california in 1960 to someone raised in el paso. texas in the forties, it was transcendent the ocean the state parks the tree lined streets on the hills and the flowers flowers everywhere i still rermember west texas with its deserts and mountains i look back on therm with awe the franklin the pass to the north el paso del norte mt cristo rey carlsbad caverns there was no t.v. i still can recall these locales and vistas i carry my landscapes with me san francisco was another country the fog the hippies the hills the bridges the bay the theatre of the haight ashbury all were intoxicating i paid my way by teaching and designing sets and costumes and inadvertently with help from many others eager to change the landscape of the american theatre we succeeded at some point i wanted to become a fine arts painter and moved gradually to painting my feelings about the abundance around me landscapes that were both spiritual and cultural sadly two years ago i had to leave california and move to columbia missouri the heart of the midwest a wise man once said the midwest is the last frontier and i am beginning to believe he was right the lanscapes here are bolder the huge skies the seas of grass the trees a bald cypress that is over 800 years on the old lewis and clark trail the big muddy the great missouri i still think of el paso and san francisco at night in my dreams in this time of covid i cannot go back thankfully i carry my landscapes with me

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Looking at changing landscapes through my work, I find inspiration in my uncle’s poetic expression of landscapes through grand brush stokes on canvas, eloquent theater designs and rivers of prose. He posted this on Facebook earlier this week. Clearly Travis genes are deeply rooted in love for landscape and nature.

Uncle Warren  to be closer to family has retired to aunt Genie Lou and uncle Widgies’s ranch in Columbia Missouri. He is still actively painting and keeping up with his website.

https://www.johnwarrentravis.com/

what we think we become

I started this piece 1 1/2 years ago but neglected to have it photographed until this week. Seeing it through the photographer’s eye, it has an additional layer of meaning in 8/2020.

Originally it was a maquette for a memorial piece. We ended up going a different path for the memoriam. Personally I was happy this piece emerged from the event and cast it in bronze. It resonates with me because years ago I became fascinated, completely sucked in by modern neurology. Neurology was my obsession. I read everything a Mom could get her hands on. My favorite was Phantoms in the Brain by V. S. Ramachandran. The brain is amazing and especially since neurologists have learned that it is plastic and is changed with everything you do, everything you tell yourself or others tell you changes your brain. This knowledge is what gives every human a chance for hope. Dreaming is the first step, and self-talk is hugely important. You can control how you see the world, and how you see yourself, “fake it until you make it works“. What you think you will become”.

The additional layer - living through a pandemic is choosing how one reacts to stressful and depressing situations. Humans choose how we react and how we see. “what you think you will become”. The texture of the piece is composed of repetitive arched lines, they are mirrored in the profiles/contours of the work. It is an abstract sculpture but I clearly read “what we think we become”. What we look for we will find, 8/2020 is a good time to control your thoughts and look for the light. If you look for it you will find it.

“what you think you become”bronze12” X 4” X 3”

“what you think you become”

bronze

12” X 4” X 3”

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Osmia Illinoensis- mason bee

I selected Osmia Illinoensis to add to Rumblings when I read


Osmia Illinoensis is a mason wild bee. It is a stingless, solitary bee whose territory was from Illinois to Texas. Over 25% of the 139 native mason bee species in North America are at risk; 14 have not been recorded for decades. There are two things you can do to help restore these tiny creatures that support the world's sustainable food production. Plant native plants 🌺 and grasses 🌾 while minimizing the use of pesticides 💦. Second buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅.

buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅. buy local organic food and products 🥬🍅.

Osmia Illinoensis  30” X 44” watercolor monotype.

Osmia Illinoensis
30” X 44” watercolor monotype.

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Day two, #2 the ghost

Day two, #2 the ghost

I struggled with my technique capturing O. Illinoensis features, those tiny white hairs were impossible, the magnificent colors of the hard exoskeleton, all the while giving her life, movement and remembering to keep the watery effect that suggests the devastating impact chemicals are having on this tiny creature.

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Day 3 caran d’ ache monotype

Day 3 caran d’ ache monotype

The ghost

The ghost

Faux bois Wedding gift ❤️❤️#17

I needed to make some new concrete sculpting tools. I cut the bristles from a dog brush and glued them to the handle from a sponge 🤞

I needed to make some new concrete sculpting tools. I cut the bristles from a dog brush and glued them to the handle from a sponge 🤞

The small bronze root left a stain on the seat. Oops. I expect I can grind it out.

The small bronze root left a stain on the seat. Oops. I expect I can grind it out.

Work work work

Work work work

Endangered Knowledge: The Soul of Humus - #8 Hooves

One of the most critical problems to solve is the placement of the hooves. They will be welded to Steel plates that act as the base. The base serves several purposes; it will make it easier to transport the piece without damaging it, it will make working on a large piece safer and less likely to fall on me. I am going to use 4 - 14” X 14” 1/4” steele plates. One for each hoove. This will give me the flexibility to adjust the placement of the hooves as the piece develops.

I am sending the hooves to Blumenthal metal and having them weld the hooves to the plates. It is tricky welding to a thin plate and not warping the plate.

I am sending the hooves to Blumenthal metal and having them weld the hooves to the plates. It is tricky welding to a thin plate and not warping the plate.

Why is this important to me? Please see Endangered Knowledge: The Soul of Humus

Same Time Next Year 2017, 2018, 2019

Same Time Next Year, is an annual survey of organic found objects preserved in the form of a bird’s nest cast in bronze. I retrieved these objects in a given year. I started making these modern-day fossils in 2013; each piece is a smidgen of a historical record of the natural world found in urban Texas. I include things I pick up gardening, walking my dog, flipping my compost bin, and daily outdoor chores. They are things that find me; I never go out hunting for them however I am always looking. Neighborhoods today are exceptionally manicured to the point of being sterile as opposed to full of life. Mosquito home misting machines and heavy weed control chemical additives keep the insects, birds and available organic matter relatively bland. I am campaigning to change the landscapes of urban settings. One day I hope there will be a greater diversity of found materials.

This year I am playing catch up and created the pieces for years 2017, 2018, 2019, in these pieces, there are bug casings, dried flowers, bug carcasses, twigs, wings, feathers, leaves, seeds a beetle, cicada and a dead bee. In January - March, I coated them in wax, sprued them up, dipped them to make the shell, and did two burnouts at the MFAH Glassell studio school foundry, and then the COVID 19 quarantine kicked in.

The MFAH responsibly closed the school but allowed us to pick up any work. I picked up the shells and took them to Legacy Fine Arts Foundry. They are great people, I have used them on several occasions on projects over the last six years. Their work is phenomenal; they finished burning out the shells and cast them, broke off the shells, cut off the sprues, and sandblasted the nests. I could break off the shells, but I have torn my shoulder twice, breaking off shells. I am so grateful for their help and enjoy working with them. I am excited to have the pieces cast, and I am ready to do the finish work and patina. 

Below are the images I took as I worked on the three nests. 

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Shaping the dried organic matter.

Shaping the dried organic matter.

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Creating a system to get bronze into the sculpture.

Creating a system to get bronze into the sculpture.

The best with the wax sorue system.

The best with the wax sorue system.

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The sprue system after the first dip in slurry.

The sprue system after the first dip in slurry.

All three pieces after several dips.

All three pieces after several dips.

Drying after the last dip to build the shell.

Drying after the last dip to build the shell.

My tools to cut off the top of the cup and blind vents. The wax will drain out if the tuop of the cup. I also drill holes to keep the shell from cracking as the wax expands in the furnace.

My tools to cut off the top of the cup and blind vents. The wax will drain out if the tuop of the cup. I also drill holes to keep the shell from cracking as the wax expands in the furnace.

After cutting the cup and blind vents.

After cutting the cup and blind vents.

The pieces at legacy as Victor is breaking off the shells.

The pieces at legacy as Victor is breaking off the shells.

The three nests and some small bronze casting to use for studio visit gifts.

The three nests and some small bronze casting to use for studio visit gifts.

Nash Baker is my art photgrapher, Nash lost his photography studio to a fire studio during COVID. I will wait to have these pieces photographed when he is back in operation.

Sapling #9 to kindling - finish details

The finish can make or break a sculpture. I decided to lightly ground down the gritty textured surface on the concrete branches and polished the leaves. The highly detailed branches contrast with the simple almost primitive or crude Leaf-like forms. The leaves are smooth except any fingerprints and marks accidentally made by the process. The roughly made leaves have more energy and life than a realistically detailed leaf.

I made the leaves by pouring a thin sheet of wax and then tore leaf shapes out of the wax. Then I crumpled and twisted them Into fall leaves and cast them in bronze.

I made the leaves by pouring a thin sheet of wax and then tore leaf shapes out of the wax. Then I crumpled and twisted them Into fall leaves and cast them in bronze.

The little bird is also highly textured but in a more organized pattern.

The little bird is also highly textured but in a more organized pattern.

I have not made a decision on the stain of the concrete.

I have not made a decision on the stain of the concrete.

Another view

Another view

The base mimics dirt under the tree.

The base mimics dirt under the tree.

Herman Park bees

Early last winter I was at the Herman Park family garden- it is a jewel of a garden. They had everything; yummy plants, honey bees, fruits, and veggies galore. They had almost everything, I say almost- they did not give a native bee condo.It was my pleasure to gift to the Herman Park family garden an air, Bee, And Bee. It is awesomely installed right next to the berries. I also have them a bunch of reeds full of blue orchard bees. I hope their air bee and bee outs out the no vacancy sign soon. My vacant little bee condo houses lizards—no bees in my area. :(

Herman Oatks newly installed air bee and bee.

Herman Oatks newly installed air bee and bee.

Art Activist and City Council Woman

It was never my intent to become an environmental activist – I am beginning to wonder if that is what I am. Since the below email I have had one meeting with Sally Alcorn and her assistant Hannah Cobb. They are on board with my thoughts and want to help. We decided the first step is to look at the citi’s present landscape ordinance, and then Coronavirus 19 hit Houston.

I guess even in a pandemic certain things have to continue, such as city budget planning. I received an Instagram message from Sally April 27th at about 11:00 pm regarding a video of the City Council meeting and the City Parks budget. I will make another blog post summing up the results of that meeting. Maybe this pandemic will open some doors that normally would not budge.


TO:  Sally Alcorn salliealcorn@comcast.net

Dec 27, 2019, 10:14 AM

RE: Houston’s impact on bees.

Sally,

It was great to run into you at the mother-daughter Christmas party. I appreciate your interest in positioning Houston to become the leading city in the U.S., addressing the native bee environmental issue. You have a lot on your plate with your new elected position, so I thought I would recap a few of the important topics we discussed.

Scientists predict that without pollinators, human life can only continue for four years. In 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Rusty Patch Bumble Bee on the endangered species list. The campaign to list a species as endangered is lengthy and complicated. With this system, it is difficult to gauge how many species are actually endangered. 


Bees are responsible for pollinating 75% of the world's flowering plants; they are crucial for the production of most fruits, nuts, and berries – our agriculture depends on pollination by bees. 

Rural areas are highly impacted by the unanticipated consequences of our industrial agriculture’s dependence on chemicals that weaken bee’s immune systems. Urban bee populations can be more diverse than in rural areas. Researchers are finding in cities such as Chicago, Berlin, Berkley, and Melbourne that have reimagined their parks, neighborhoods, city centers, vacant lots, street medians, and rooftops planted with native flowers, grasses, and fruit, and vegetables support healthy, vibrant wild native bee populations.

In the US, there are four thousand native bee species. They pollinate over three hundred times more effectively than honey bees. For example, A single female Leafcutter Bee visits 100,000 plus blossoms per day whereas a honey bee visits 50-1000. 

Unlike the honey bee, Native bees do not swarm, are not aggressive. Native bees are perfect for urban population centers. 

Houston covers 600 square miles of land and has one of the longest growing seasons in the U.S. As it continues to sprawl across Texas, its gardens must increasingly become a refuge for native plants and animals. With 2.3 million people living in the most vital economic, cultural center of the south, we can become the most critical urban native bee habitat in the United States. 

I have spent the last year and a half studying the bee situation as it pertains to my art and my interest in regenerative agriculture. I am determined to take this knowledge and save the bee in urban settings.

With Houston's land size, population, and location in the Sunbelt like it or not-we are impacting the bee population. 
I realize we will have to start with baby steps. Let's put our creative minds together, save the native bees, and build a better energy capital. This is a great opportunity for our new city council. 

I am very flexible are weekdays or weekends better for you to get together?

Best,

Cindee

 

P.S.

If Cuba can create urban gardens to feed it’s poor can you imagine what we can do.

https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2019-02-13/urban-agriculture-what-us-cities-can-learn-from-cuba

Bombus dahlbomii

Bombus Dahlbomii is #1. on my bee bucket list. It is about three times larger than the largest bumble in the US. B. Dahlbomii is 1.5” long, they are affectionately called "flying mice" or "a monstrous fluffy ginger beast." This fluff bomb is in serious buzz pollinator mode. They are the primary pollinator of a Chilean bellflower, the National flower of Chile. Native to Chile, this bright orange-ish red arthropod is one of the few bees that can see red. Birds pollinate most red flowers, but this reddish bee loves red bellflowers and Alstroemeria the Peruvian Lillies. The decline of the fluffy ginger beast populations started with the introduction of commercial bumblebees. In the end, the commercial bumblebees did not pollinate as effectively and spread disease. If you are in Patagonia, keep your eye out for this amazing creature.
scientific American has a great article about this unique bee.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/biggest-bumblebee-threatened/

These pieces are a part of an environmental abstract body of work - Rumblings. In the natural world a rumbling in the distance forewarns a forthcoming gale. Rumblings; a monumental collection of endangered wild bee portraits. The watercolor ink carefully manipulated on the monotypes to reflect the synergistic, aqueous effect of; the wild bee's magnetic attraction of golden dust, the movement of the Keystone species mission to cross pollinate, and their fragility due to the applied chemicals that flood industrial agriculture. With Rumblings there is knowledge and knowledge is power.

I have made 2 experimental monotypes of a Bombus Dahlbomii. I was experimenting with techniques to make him extra fuzzy. I went a bit crazy with the botany around the bee. These pieces feel experimental, or maybe I need to step back from them. As individual pieces they feel overworked to me- muddied and too much background- That said they may work when all 50 bees are exhibited as one piece. It is good to have options. When I get back in the print studio I will redo them in my normal style just to have on hand.

In quarantine during the coronavirus epidemic I do not have access to a large press. In lieu I am stitching bees and native plants on a jean jacket. Stitching keep my hands busy, is a meditation and really good fo mental health.

Bombus dahlbomii Thread on denim

Bombus dahlbomii Thread on denim

Bombus dahlbomii I 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes

Bombus dahlbomii I 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes

Bombus dahlbomii Il 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes

Bombus dahlbomii Il 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes

Bob the bison

Have you ever asked a Houstonian- “ why do you think Buffalo Bayou, is named Buffalo Bayou?” The aswer I get 100% of the time is - I don’t know.............. 😞 Right after they mumble “I don’t know?” you can hear the sound of a quiet cracking as my heart breaks. It is heart breaking that living in urban environments we have become disconnected to animals and nature. Thanks to EPIC bar last week I took another step in the direction that will reconnect urban populations to one of the most important natural processes on the planet. I would also like to thank Bob the Bison.

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A landscape

A landscape

Lumps

Lumps

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