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ART TELLS A STORY
It all began in my own backyard
Begin with a bee, bird, bat, butterfly, wasp. What do they have in common?
Curiosity about pollinators, host plants and the symbiotic relationships that occur in nature are integral to my art.
Printmaking became a different way to develop my art - expressive, stylized and individual. Using cutting tools, digging and carving into your lino or other substrate is a creative act forming an immediacy of line, shape, texture and rhythm.
Finding my subject matter for a print became part of story telling - triangle of the artist at work, the source of my curiosity, viz. the pollinators and their host plants and how to portray the significance of their symbiotic relationship.
Q. Why do the rose leaves, pomegranate leaves and many other shrubs with soft leaves have perfect semi circle cuts in their leaves?
Who makes them? Is it their lunch?
A. THE LEAFCUTTER BEE is fussy about the kind of leaves she cuts. She is the only bee in the world that cuts leaves to build her nest. She is a solitary bee and does the work all by herself.
Bees do not eat leaves.
Q. Who pollinates the fig tree? We see blossoms on apple, pear, peach, and pomegranate trees, but there are no blossoms on fig trees.
A. THE FIG WASP There is a specific wasp for each species of fig tree. The fig isn't really a fruit, but an inverted flower or clusters of flowers and seeds inside this bulbous looking fruit. Since the flowers are hidden inside, the fig wasp must crawl inside to fertilize the flowers. It eventually dies. Don't worry, you are not eating a wasp when eating a delcious fig!
Q. Who pollinates the agave plants at night?
A. THE LONG-NOSED BAT. There would be no tequila without this nocturnal visitor. The dynamic mutualism between these bats and agave plants is essential to pollinating the agave. These bats are also important pollinators of saguaros.
Nature's form, texture & symmetry that inspire.
My camera is a reference and record for my art especially botanicals. Macro photography illuminates nature’s balance,
symmetry of form, texture, details of veins of leaves, petals, tree bark patterns, shells, bugs and insects.
Photo of Candelabra Cactus.
Drawing of cactus
Drawing of cactus
Relief print using gradation of ink on brayer.
Relief print using gradation of ink on brayer.
The Crested Coral Cactus is grafted onto a Euphorbia.
Relief print interpretation in black ink
Relief print interpretation in black ink
The Collagraph plate utilizes texture items that are adhered to the plate, inked then printed.
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