World of Hum- a humdinger

Keystones in El Paso

50” x 10’

watercolor monotype

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World of Hum and Rumblings experiment

I have often wondered how my monotypes would look with a kinetic showdown piece. This is the first print I have tried with the kinetic sculpture. I think it is worth exploring.

This is a screenshot of a message I received on Instagram In the above post. I am please to make an Apis Dorsata and help spread the word regarding the bee problem in India -

Apis Dorsata - ghost #2 watercolor monotype print 30” X44” detail of a 458 sq.ft work that addresses the plight of native bees worldwide. ”rock bee” its common name is responsible for every third bite of food in India.

Apis Dorsata - Rock bee. 30” X 44” watercolor monotype

Apis Dorsata - Rock bee. Ghost

30” X 44” watercolor monotype

Apis Dorsata - Rock bee. Ghost 2

30” X 44” watercolor monotype

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263252362_The_Rock_Honey_Bee_Apis_dorsata_and_its_pollination_potential_in_some_plants

Rumblings - Xylocopa micans

A male southern carpenter bee- This bee was sleeping on my Salvia the morning of July 4th. The male wild bees do not live in nests. When they emerge they fly out looking for females to breed with. When the females return to their nest to sleep the males curl up to an petal.

Xylocopa micans I

Xylocopa micans II

Xylocopa micans II ghost

Image from my video

Rumblings - Bombus Morrisoni - repeat

Bombus Morrisoni II Ghost

I was not happy with the first Bombus Morrisoni so I made more. The first is swimming in violet blooms

Bombus Morrisoni III

Bombus Morrisoni III ghost

Rumblings Monotypes without a printer.

Sometime in 2019 or late 2018 I discovered the USGS photographic library of wild bees. I was overwhelmed at the number of species and their individual beauty. They are jewels of the insect world. These facts combined with the reality that most well educated people believe that there is just one bee species - the honey bee. There are 20,000 species. How a creature who is responsible for our food could be misunderstood to this existent is baffling. Scientist just started realizing the error in their studies last summer. Committing to telling the story of the plight of the most important being on the planet is a worthy story. I have always felt the need to support underdogs.

Below us the artist statement for the project as I incusion it today. Artist statements remain fluid as I work on big projects.

RUMBLINGSA rumbling in the distance is nature's way to alert living creatures to their environment. Rumblings; monumentally draws attention to the 20,000 unknown species of threatened wild solitary bees. The bees that can not bee industrialized.  The watercolor ink carefully manipulated on the fifty interconnected monotypes to reflect the synergistic, aqueous effect of; the unexplored bee species superior magnetic attraction of golden dust, the movement of the anonymous Keystone species dedication to pollinate, and their fragility due to the applied chemicals that flood industrial agriculture. With Rumblings, there is knowledge and knowledge is power; it is a resounding call to all for action. 

The COVID 19 quarantine in March was a huge buzz kill to this series. These are all monotyoes. I use the plexiglass surface to create my water effect that I then press into the paper. I am very attached to this method as the best way to communicate this work for a few reasons. 1. It is a process I created and as far as I know no one else creates monotyoes with this type of mark making., 2. The watery look suggest the use if pesticides that are impacting their extension and lastly the tiny details that make up the bee is suggestive of pollen dust. I have been creating this pieces in MFAH beautiful Glassell studio school printmaking studio. With COVID that us not an option for me.

Since March, I have stitched bees and tried to be open-minded to another process to complete the series. I finally decided to see if I could hand press a 30” X 44” print in my studio.

Here I am applying the ink to the plexiglass. On the wall is a photo of Bombus Dahlbomii, the largest humble bee in the world at 2” long and endangered if it us not already extinct. The photographs are stunning. The photographs are taken if dead bees. In ny pieces, I try to put movement and energy back into the buzz pollinator.

Here I have just pressed the plexiglass with the watercolor ink bee image onto the wet paper. And surprise surprise surprise.

Bombus Dahlbomii IV

I have made three other attempts to print this monsterous fluffy ginger and not been happy with the results.

Bombus Dahlbomii IV Ghost.

The prior attempt are below. Getting a mono-colored fluffy bee with out muddying the ink was tricky.

Bombus Dahlbomii Day I

Bombus Dahlbomii Day I ghost

Bombus Dahlbomii Day II

Bombus Dahlbomii Day II ghost

Bombus Dahlbomii Day III

Bombus Dahlbomii Day I'll ghost

I am hoping the Bombus Dahlbomii day IV pieces cut the mustard. I am feeling hopeful and extremely excited that I can create monotypes without a press Is this non-verbal size.

Lawndale Art Center - support image

It does not stand to reason that gardens or yards in Texas, Maryland, California, Iowa, and Illinois should all be landscaped with the same selection of plants. The below image from Native Texas Gardens says it all. In a country with great diversity from coast to coast, shouldn’t the sculpture garden landscapes be embedded in plants that define the place?

It will be more interesting to see sculptures in gardens of indigenous plants, plants that define the place, terrains that have attracted its people and impacted its economy. A sculpture of a boat marooned in a desert landscape might imply global warming and the same wooden vessel docked in a sea of woody pines congers up thoughts of concervation. one thing the same boat Sculpture changes across geography. What does sculpture look like in a coastal prairie sculpture garden?

Page xviv of Native Texas Gardens, maximum beauty, minimum upkeep by Sally and Andy Wasowski.

Lawndale- dream opportunity

I have shared ideas regarding environmental land art concepts with Stephanie over the past few years, and this spring Lawndale Art Center decided to allow me to see what I can do. After some time thinking about what the work should be, I verbally made a proposal recapped in the letter below. I am pumped about his opportunity, the Lawndale sculpture garden feels like a traditional front yard in anywhere USA. The sculpture garden is lovely, but this is the Coastal Prairie, and Coastal Prairie landscapes offer many environmental benefits. I am addressing many of them in Endangered Knowledge: The Soul of Humus. This Lawndale piece will provide an example of a native plant landscaped area of the same scale as their yard. People need a project they can mimic. They can see native landscaping at the Arboretum, Katy Prairie Conservancy, and Buffalo Bayou. Those sites are enormous tracts of land, and most people can not visualize those landscapes in front of their homes. The Lawndale Sculpture Garden will be instrumental in communicating what a reimagined urban native landscape can be. It will inspire change.

Emily, Stephanie, and Will,

First, I want to introduce you to Will Isbell and thank you for meeting with me regarding the Lawndale Sculpture Garden, again. Now that I have had time to think about the space in the greater picture, I am proposing that Will Isbell, work with me to create a plan that will reimagine the Lawndale Sculpture garden as a work of living land art. Will is an artist, past President of the Harris County Master Gardeners Association, oversees the Family Garden at McGovern Centennial Gardens and makes educational videos for Herman park and works at Sicardi Gallery. I have pasted for your enjoyment a link to an Educational video Cooking From Your Garden that Will created a few weeks ago. Will's knowledge, credentials, and experience as a sculptor and gallerist at Sicardi Gallery will be extremely valuable to the project from conception to funding. 

Will and I had initial discussions regarding the space last Friday evening, and we are like-minded regarding our landscape philosophies and vision for Lawndale's Sculpture Garden. As artists, we see our involvement as sculptors of a living piece of land art and environmental art activist. The long-term goal of our land art will be to take the garden from it's beautiful traditional landscaped state to a holistic living sculpture garden that works with the Coastal Prairie native landscape and, at the same time, showcases Lawndales sculpture exhibits. The living land art will be educational, functional as an exhibition space, and an environmentally healthy ecosystem/habitat. It will be groundbreaking in the art community to have a sculpture garden that showcases work in an ecologically conscious native landscape and will save Lawndale future dollars. 

The first step is to get Will and I the landscape and irrigation plans and a key to the outdoor garden closet. Will and I will then do the research to reimagine the space and give you a conceptual proposal. If you are on board with our vision, we can then work with you on creating a site plan, securing funding, installation/timing plan, and estimate the volunteers needed. We are aware that this may be a long term staged project but are hopeful that it can be realized in the short term.  

I am also looking forward to creating a piece that addresses the connection between humans, the natural world, and landscapes. Emily and I discussed that we should discuss the details of this future piece after my Sculpture Month Houston opening on October 10th. I would like to add the growth I realize as an artist from my experience creating the sculpture Month piece to my future Lawndale installation. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with all of you and know this is going to be an amazing experience. 

This is Will’s cooking from the garden video

https://youtu.be/tWDLXyN1jj0

Best,

Cindee

It will be groundbreaking to look at sculpture in a landscape unique to Houston Texas. .  

Art Activist and City council woman #2

Sally and Hannah

The video of the FY21 budget workshop-Parks and Recreation was very informative.

Here is what I got out of the video that will help you move the city in an environmentally forward direction. I have broken it down into five steps.

Steve Wright knows the value of native plants and grasses. He expressed that he would like to move more in that direction. He does not because the public is not educated. With Steve on board, this is a great opportunity, and the timing is perfect. Sally, it is great you identified this opportunity, by leading Steve you can save the city money and the planet.

Step One – In Steve's presentation, #5 Greenspace Management (GSM), the city is spending $2,000,000 on mowing esplanades, and in #15 Quality Assurance, they spend $2,500,000 for safety training to maintain the esplanades. Making all esplanades native grasses is a change that will free up a significant amount of money and help all insects as well as the bee. With Covid 19 sucking the life out of the country, the financial savings alone is reason enough to make the transition. This change will start the education of the citizens. Now is the time to take the first step in making Houston a leading city in environmental policy and help with the budget.

Step Two – Steve did not mention the chemical additives or equipment the city uses. City Parks and Recreation would also save money on the chemicals used on manicured landscapes such as herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and neonicotinoids. This change would also impact the dollars spent on equipment and fuel for lawnmowers. Have Steve add that number up for you.

Step Three- Have Steve's people look at every area they manage: the city libraries, trails, parks, sports fields, golf courses. The zoo should also be charged with evaluating its grounds. Have them identify pockets in these city public spaces where they can save money by transitioning to native plants. There is a lot of precedent in other cities for native plant golf courses. Golf courses use an extreme amount of labor and chemicals; this could be a significant number in the budget.

Step Four – Steve mentioned Public Works land. It was not clear whose budget it is in, but it should be maintained in an environmentally forward thinking manner.

Step Five ­– Steve was concerned about the public's knowledge of the benefits of native landscaping versus the mindless conformity of the manicured landscapes that we are used to seeing. This education is a project for his new social media employee. In addition, the Mayor should call a press conference and make a big deal of the City Councils' commitment to not only the health of it’s citizens but also the environment and not mindlessly conforming to unhealthy chemically dependent landscape practices and to saving Houstonians a lot of money. The Mayor can also go into the benefits of restoring native prairie vegetation as it decreases water runoff and flooding, increases soil absorption of water and slows floodwaters on land.

A press conference is excellent advertising. It can also be addressed on the citiy’s website.

If you need inspiration, look at the 5/2020 National Geographic, Where Have All the Insects Gone? Pp. 40-65. The article is a study from 1989 to 2016 of flying insects. The study reported a 70% decline. You will find quotes such as "ecological Armageddon", "we find ourselves in the middle of a nightmare", "According to the website Altmetric, which tracks how often publish research is mentioned online, the study was the sixth most discussed scientific paper in 2017."

Insects do the dirty work for us; they pollinate, disperse seeds, are food for freshwater fish, and about every land animal, from reptiles to birds. They decompose our waste; without insects dead, organic matter will pile up. N. G reported the work insects do is equivalent to $57 billion a year in the US.

After you tackle the City Parks, we can look at residential and commerci

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 I 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes

Bombus dahlbomii Il 30” X 44” watercolor monotypes