stage 2

in transformation.....

This is a larger piece I am working on over vacation. It is approx. 4'x4'....drawing and mixed media. Suggestions welcome!

See, we have the golden spiral happening, and more to come....

size me up

2 pieces of beeswax collage on wood approx. 5"x8".

sweetness collage 2

10"x10"

sweetness and light for the new year

8"x8" on canvas...collage and encaustics. Happy and Healthy New Year to all!

5 pieces of sweetness and light

5 4"x4" pieces...work together..

5 close-up

4"x4" on wood

close-up

4"x4" on wood

unlikely icons

not sure if this is done, but the concept is there...small wooden pieces 1"x2" placed in this old jewelry box...

anna

this is an image of my Grandma Anna and her family--the exact year I am not sure of...1926or 28? The image in xeroxed and put on a trading card....collaged on fabric and framed with red wax and Queen Anne's Lace.

full view

dances with bees

3 8x8" canvases collaged with images, patterns

honeycomb

ready-made by the bees!

i've included close-ups because this one is difficult to photograph with my digital camera.

honeycomb window

hibernation of the hives

this piece is approximately 20x24". It is a photo of an angel statue in the snow, and the negative is scratched. The photo is mounted on board and that is attached to velvet covered foam. Hibernation of the hives was a celebration as they prepared the hives for winter. I can't find much information about it, but it seems significant. The birds reminded me of the snowbirds that flock our open yard and roads.

just learned about Sylvia Plath's poem "wintering" from the book "sweetness and light". it kind of relates to the topic : http://plagiarist.com/poetry/1462/

small abstracts

each piece is on a 3x5" canvas. These were fun experiments allowing the wax to blend with the heat gun.

detail and poems

Sally's poem: I am from big band music playing on the radio, recordplayers and the Ed Sullivan show I am from the house on 3rd St (behind the Catholicchurch) with the sunporch filled with treasures andboxes of old dress up clothes to let imaginations runfree I'm from the yellow irises and bridal wreath shrub androws of maple trees whose long gone limbs I rememberas if they were my own. I'm from nighttime pajama rides, milkshakes, winks andsmiles.I am from Jeanne Dagmar, daughter of Aunie and EmilI am from Joseph Amadeo, son of Severina and Silvio I am from lovers of music, adventurous spirits andunconditional lasting love. I'm from dad brought you back from India andwe all have our own crosses to bearand Mammy's Goodnight Lullaby sung by Ma Johnson I'm from big family picnics at Dawson Lake and tripsdownstate. I'm from Alpha and Rossi's and Alto'spolenta & wine and cardamom bread & coffee From the twinkly eyed drummer boy who fell in lovewith thepretty beautician from Mansfield who loved to dance Dusty photo albums filled with images of the past in drawers, on shelves, and in boxes moved from home tohome...where ever the adventure took us. Sweet memories held like treasures deep in my heart and will remain there long after other senses fade

Christy's: I am from cereal and milk from grapevine wreaths and potpourriI am from the house in the Western split rail fence, basketball hoop I am from the marigolds The chokecherry tree, whose long gone limbs I rememberas if they were my own.I’m from singing loud and strong calves from Rossi and Hronkin, Alto and Marcinov I’m from sisu and polka and from strong like bull I’m from "but not always" and these are the good old days I’m from tostitos and diet rite in the back yard I’m from the U.P. and Alaska, and from places I’ve never been Angelfood candy and sugar cookies From December birthdays, wood stoves and pizza at camp Stories told again and again, each time bringing the past a little closer to my heart and reminding me who I am

Jenn's

I am from wool socks
from radio and wood stove
I am from the house that George built
golden sunshine flooding windows and sparkling on the pond
I am from the daisies
The tall straight pines
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.

I’m from working women and fortitude
from Sally and Anna and Jeanne
I’m from morning coffee and worry
and from updates on everybody's business.

I’m from only boring people get bored and I love you
and good morning starshine
I’m from Christmas Eve dinner
I’m from the U.P. and the old country
Blackberries and beets and fresh baked bread
From WWII letters in a trunk
each one addressed to "my dearest darling"
Walls covered with photos of generations
Eyes looking out through time
I am from those moments
Past present into future
Travelling with memories like a gypsy caravan.

Melissa’s

I am from roller skates
From records and piano
I am from the A frame on Runkle Lake
Sunlight breaking through the trees
I am from the pansies
The Red Pines
Whose long gone limbs I remember
As if they were my own.

I’m from singing and curled eyelashes
From George and Sally
I’m from anxiety and early rising
And from hugs and kisses.

I’m from free to be you and me and its alright to cry
And Cat Stevens
I’m from camping trips
I’m from Crystal Falls and Europe/Scandinavia
Venison and green beans
From Grandparents working hard
Mining, building, Avon, Cheese plant, and hairdressing
Photo Albums and portraits on the walls
Attics and garages
Filling up with time
While we’re thousands of miles apart.

I am from.....

This is a picture of my mother as a young girl. The piece is about 24" square. My sisters and I each wrote an "I am from" poem, which are around the frame, and my mother's poem is carved into the green wax around the image. Wild Carrot or Queen Anne's Lace are pressed and embedded in the wax.

triptych on wood

xerox transfer, beeswax, encaustic, and collage on wood: each approx. 10x6x1"

closed beeswax box

12x8 inch altered jewelry box

beeswax box

not sure if this is finalized yet, but it references Joseph Cornell's boxes....also, insect vision and the cells of honeycomb and preciousness.

match made in heaven

what more can I say?

motorcycle totem

http://www.miningjournal.net/page/content.detail/id/19767.html?nav=5007

motorcycle diptych

these pieces are in response to the death of an old friend, Dave.

bee chart (part of triptych)

bee triptych

these encaustic and xerox transfer pieces are done on 8x8" canvases that are 3" deep...so imagery and collage appear on the sides as well as the front of the canvas.

back view

queen bee

This one is Queen Bee. Her body is 12" tall, and the root head adds about 7 inches.

leaves

honeycomb

milagro

works so far

This is encaustic and pressed flowers on a 6" paper mache dressmaker's form. This is the first of the 6 small "melissae" figures.

beeswax projects

Project Update and Proposal Clarification
August 22, 2007

Synopsis: I propose to create a body of work entitled “Icarus Rising: Lessons from the Bees”. This will be an exploration of encaustic and mixed media beeswax collage. I propose to create at least a piece a week for the next year. In a way, it is a sequel to a body of work I made 10 years ago that explored the topic of early flight and heros. Essentially, I built objects of transformation including a flying machine for my alter-ego, the absurd hero. The work was large and installation oriented.
This body of work will be on a more intimate and reflective level. The pieces will be an exploration of the media and more detail oriented. Images used will depict beekeepers, the history of beekeeping, and the lore surrounding this collaboration between humans and nature. The sacred and sensual aspect of honey and beeswax will be examined as well. For me, this is kind of a personal return to the “quest”, the rising of Icarus whos wings failed him because the wax holding them together melted when he flew too close to the sun.

Research:
· The Hive: History of the Honeybee and Us: Bee Wilson
· The Art of Encaustic Painting (contemporary expression in the ancient medium…): Joanne Materra
· Encaustic Art: Michael Bossom
· The Shamanic Way of the Bee: Ancient Wisdom and Healing Practices of the Bee Masters by Simon Buxton.
· The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping: Aebi (Harry and Ormond)
· Disappearance of the Honeybee (current phenomenon—various media)

Experimentation:
· Encaustic pigment techniques
· Beeswax Collage techniques
· Collecting and pressing flowers (researching medicinal uses and lore)
· Collecting images of beekeepers, historical beekeeping
· Collecting surfaces and objects for collage
· Setting up studio area and trying additive, subtractive processes


Excerpt: from About.com is attached:
Humanity has always had a close relationship with bees, whose honey has have been a food staple since before the dawn of civilization. As a symbol, the bees' lifestyle mimics that of the human social order- a cooperative, productive social hierarchy. In fact, beekeeping is one of the earliest markers of civilized society- bees provided many of the necessities of advancement, providing not only food, but wax for metalworking, cosmetics, and medicines, as well as the ever-important pollinization of fruit trees and other food crops.
Hieroglyphic Bee symbolising the Kingdom of Lower Egypt
The cultivation of honey was a sacred charge often imbued with ritual symbolism and associated with the mother goddess, whose nurturing protection of mankind was symbolized by the the abundance of honey provided to bee society under the reign of the queen bee.
As it was widely believed that bees were born spontaneously, they were widely viewed as symbols of chastity and purity. The Bee's never-flagging labors made them an emblem of hard work, industriousness, teamwork, perseverence, charity, selflessness, and constancy. These virtues are recalled in many heraldic emblems and personal seals, as well as in the emblems of Freemasonry, the Church of Latter-Day Saints, and in countless trademarks.
Masonic Beehive emblem
Observances of the annual hibernation of the hives also resulted in the belief that thye died and were reborn annually, and this, along with their coloring, made them a natural solar symbol- and later, an emblem of Christ in to Christian believers. Greek followers of the goddess Demeter believed her priestesses would be reincarnated as bees; the priestesses of the Ephesian Diana were called melissae- bees.