Desolation Without Honeybees

Medium Description

CharcoalBlack India InkColored PencilsCollage

Artist Description

For this background, I thought about places where I had seen a lot of honeybees. I remembered my aunt had several hives when I was younger. So, I knew I needed a beehive. I didn’t just want it sitting in a field. I thought of a once cozy little house just outside of a large group of trees with a little beehive nearby.

The woods and fence were drawn in charcoal to give the appearance of bleak and dying. The little beehive was drawn in ink adding to the gloominess but also giving a sense of permeance, since it was man made. The lack of detail in the background is meant to create not only depth but to show the effects of years without life, insect, animal, or human.

My little honeybees and beautiful lavender are drawn in colored pencils. The vibrance of the colored pencil reflects the importance of the bees and the flowers in bringing back this lifeless world.

The layers of the collage are meant to bring depth and further showcase the difference between a world with and without pollinators.

I chose honeybees and lavender because my sister planted a lavender plant in my front flower bed years ago and I remember watching the honeybees choosing it over some of my other flowers. I thought the contrast between the purple flowers and yellow bee bodies was so beautiful. I really wanted the flowers and bees to stand out.

I think this piece generates a sense of comfort for the viewer, because I can almost smell the lavender and hear the gentle hum of the bees.