For the Use What You Have Swap my partner @tendstowardschaos had bees listed as one of her themes. I love bees in art (though prefer to keep my distance IRL) but what medium should I use? I could use my new alcohol markers, or my favorite watercolors, do something with a mosaic, play with acrylic, dip into my fabric stash, break out the polymer clay. My brain broke a little. But then I realized I didn’t have to choose one. I could make a bunch of bees…they aren’t solitary bugs after all.
In the end I created 5 bees and if I’d had more space in the box I probably would have created more!
I had some thin metal sheets in my stash and decided to try an embossed design (this one will has its own post). It quickly became my favorite and I definitely want to explore the technique more. I adore how it came out.
I knew I wanted to do a papercut bee but decided what this project REALLY needed was a hive to hold my bevy of bees. I found a fun box pattern and cut that with my Silhouette Cameo, adding another bee on the outside to round out the collection.
They are all so unique and beautiful! They are almost all getting framed to go on my gallery wall. I am going to get a little shelf for the gallery to hold what can’t be framed. I just adore bees and am so happy to see them every spring and summer. Now I get to see them every day!
Two of the bees look like they’re checking out apple and crabapple blossoms - which are two of the flowering trees in my yard.
@tendstowardschaos - I love happy coincidences! The fact some of the flowers match your yard is awesome. The little 4x4 acrylic bee is a magnet in case I forgot to mention. I’ve never tried framing the ATCs I recieve but now I kind of want to!
