Full Circle

I started this sculptural piece probably in 2018? Possibly earlier. It was after I made my first outdoor comb installation- the one that got stolen/vandalized, who knows what happened to it in the end. I was really upset about it when it happened, and I was messaging with my friend, Jen Worden, and I asked her if I could make one for her as she lives in a rural area in Canada and I really just wanted my creation to live somewhere outside where it would be safe. One of the aspects of creating art that is important for me is that it interacts with the outside world. That aspect is especially important when I create my outdoor installations- they are meant to interact with their environment, the elements and with the people who pass by them. So when my installation piece vanished, I felt like that part was stolen from both myself and my installation. Creating outdoors, especially when made from nature bits and in the middle of the woods, there is an element of letting go to what may come- a storm, an animal, etc. I fully embrace that, but I guess I draw the line at mean humans. Ah well, this seems to be the current mood of our country right now.

Well, back to this creation. I decided to make a small one to send up north and I decided I wanted to do a circle. I started it right away and then life and deadlines got in the way. I finally finished it earlier this year and it currently lives in Nova Scotia with someone I consider a dear friend that I met online eons ago and then got to meet in person several years ago. It seems fitting that I would send her something bee related as bees are so much about community and she has been such an important presence in my art journey.

There are so many of us who started out blogging early on, around 2000. That’s 2 decades ago! The community was so tight knit and so encouraging. Sometimes I wonder if I would have kept on this path early on if it hadn’t been for that community. It’s so interesting and at times disheartening to see how the internet landscape has changed in the past 20 years. I guess there were trolls back then as well….but less so. There was an openness in that community that was so lovely and when I look back on it now, a naivete. But naive in a good way. Maybe naive is the wrong term. An open heartedness, maybe? I feel so jaded and cynical these days. We were reating and sharing for the joy of creating community, not freaking about creating daily videos and being sure to post at a certain time on a daily basis, and being on brand. Ugh, that just gives me hives.

I have been meaning to post my circular honeycomb for a few months now. Kids are back in school now, I am feeling a bit better healthwise, and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things studio wise.

Going to end this blog with something for me to ponder:

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men.”

– Herman Melville

Oh, and I am happy to report that last I heard my circular honeycomb hangs in the midst of pollinator heaven. I love that.