Tag: bees in art

The Tall Hollyhock at Twigworth, a Night Stop for a Bumble Bee.

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I mentioned the hollyhocks at Twigworth yesterday.
One, particularly, was immensely tall, we estimated about 9 ft. The hollyhock, Alcea rosea is so beautiful and a real favourite of mine.

Their long towering spikes of flowers and little round seed pods were constantly swaying in the wind. This interestingly made it quite tricky for the bumble bees to land. But land they did, working round the central stamen and getting completely covered in white pollen.

bee pollen

Early one morning before opening up I sat on the lawn and made a measured sketch. I noticed that a very still little white tailed bumble bee was curled round the stamen of one of the flowers.
I rather think he had been there overnight. I
was a good half hour and he was still there when I left. I have seen them here sheltering under teasels for the night.

Bee in Hollyhock… not easy to see him curled round in the middle.

hollyhock and bee bg

My slow measured sketch…

tall hollyhock bg sm

Later a quicker sketch with black and white pens on toned paper.

hollyhock bg

Back in the studio in between talking to the visitors I drew a pod and its little adjoining leaf. The pods are delightfully furry.
It’s a bit like the old “Leaf of the Day” times! I still have to draw the seeds but have brought a few pods back with me, along with some honesty.
Nice! I am looking forward to drawing them.

Hollyhock Seed Pod and Leaf

holyhock bg

Bee Thumbnails, almost on the Drawing Board. And Walk/Sketch 6

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I am working on some new paintings.. so far I have been researching and sketching.

I have said before I don’t consistently use one beautiful and carefully annotated sketchbook, I wish I did, but never have and am too old now to change! So rough ideas are sometimes just scribbled on the back of bits of scrap paper.

I will be working on a Heligan Bee.. the only problem is which one??

I have thought and thought about this. I am undecided between a Bumble bee and foxglove, or the wonderful female Anthidium manicatum on the curious motherwort.

anthid bg       anthid bg    

foxgloves      foxglove thumbs bg

The Bombus hypnorum, The pretty Tree Bumble Bee will now be a commission. I am delighted to be painting this bee at last. I have added more blossom.

hyp thumb bg      hyp thumb bg

Another little Osmia rufa Red mason bee with cherry blossom was an alternative commission possibility. I am fond of this one so will probably do it anyway.

osmia rufa bg      osmia thumb col bg

Below are a couple of  thumbnail sketches for another painting of the snailshell bee, also a commission, for Peter and Carol who were fascinated by this combination of bee and shell.

This will be a bigger painting than usual and with two bees. A massive 14 x 14 inches! Nice. It will be two Osmia bicolors, male and female. This is another bee I haven’t painted yet.  These are just first thoughts about how I might position these two bees.

osmia thumb     osmia fam 1 bg

Honeysuckle and Bombus hortorum. I watched these lovely bees both this year and last year on Dad’s honeysuckle. This one will be another commission I think.

honeysuckle bg 

I think that’s enough for now 🙂

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Day 6 Walk/Sketch

I didn’t get out till 5.00 today for my walk/sketch. I was out until 6.15. I know this because I have also been writing down where my day goes..I seem to get nothing done some days so decided to keep a record of where exactly the time goes! Its 7.15 now and I should be getting this posted as I still have emails to write/answer…. so just two sketches today, on this cold grey day. Dark skies and wind in the tall crop made for a gloomy and uneasy walk so I didn’t stay out long. The fishermen were wrapped up.

fishermen bg

and the sky should be much darker!!

lake shore 26th bg

That’s a UK summer for you 🙂

Three “Thank You’s”

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I have had three very nice things happen just recently and I just want to say thanks!

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Thank you Bees in Art!
Firstly to Andrew at “Bees in Art” who kindly invited me to join them. My bees now have a page there! I am so very pleased and honoured to be added to such a brilliant group of artists and even on the same line as Arthur Rackham. At the moment only the prints are available there but as I have more time I hope to be able to add some originals… so “Thank you!” Bees in Art.

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Thank you SAA Bursary Award!

On Saturday I spent the day in London and attended the SAA, the Society for All Artists exhibition “It’s All About Art” which was full of aspiring artists watching and participating in demos from some very accomplished artists.
I particularly like the SAA because of their all inclusive and non precious attitude to art.

They exist to “inform, encourage and inspire” artists of all ages and all abilities. It was great to see so many people trying different styles media and approaches.
I was there to receive a small but very welcome bursary to go towards art materials for my fledgling “Bee Inspired” art/ nature workshops… which I will be offering soon, more of that to come. Thank you all at SAA for your support for the project.

Book's cover

Thank you “Pitahayas in Art” And finally an unexpected and non bee thank you to Adolfo Rodríguez Canto
from the Universidad Autonoma Chapingo in Mexico.

Adolfo is putting together a very specialist book on the strange and beautiful Dragon Fruit or Pitahaya, or more accurately the Pitahaya in Art! “Las Pitahayas en Las Artes Plasticas”.
 He had asked to include my dragon fruit sketches, from those wonderful early days of my Pencil and Leaf Blog when I was discovering so much of the world of tropical and subtropical flora in Orlando.
I couldn’t be more delighted.
They will be amongst ceramics and paintings drawing and sculptures all celebrating this “maravillosa planta mesoamericana!”
Otra vez Adolfo, Me siento honrado de tener las pinturas incluido en su libro!
Mil gracias!’ Y otra vez las pitahayas… Half a pitahaya…

and this glorious, magenta and green fruit in a colour sketch..

See the Dragon Fruit Posts here http://pencilandleaf.blogspot.com/search/label/dragonfruit from back in 2008, where I explored my newly rediscovered fruit…something I first ate in a hostel in Nicaragua, not then knowing what on earth it was!

Frida Kahlo’s painting is beautiful.