Thumb Area Artists Exhibit at Starkweather

The 2026 Thumb Area Artists Exhibit at the Starkweather Arts Center runs through September 25. I was fortunate to have two of my mixed media pieces included in this show. Juror Dr. Anita Bates curated a wonderful mix of art to create an interesting exhibit. 

Nectar of Life 

This mixed media book explores the relationship and connection humans have with bees. There is a dependency that goes unnoticed by most. 71 of the 100 crop varieties that provide 90% of the world's food rely on bee pollination. I took pictures of the bees that live in my area. The more I observed, the more fascinating they became. I learned many interesting facts as I researched and a page illustrates that one teaspoon of honey takes 12 bees their whole lives to create. 

The book is made from repurpose cardboard hand cut into hexagonal shapes, covered with gelli prints that continue the honeycomb theme. Gel medium transfers of the photos are attached to the pages in hexagonal shapes as well. The inside cover of the box is a representation of honeycomb. The "cells" are filled with an ink-dyed clear-drying acrylic glaze (Diamond Glaze) to represent honey. The same substance was used for the honey drips as well. 

 

A quote by Albert Einstein rendered on the inside of the box echoes the sentiment I was pursuing with this theme:  “If the bee disappeared of the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.

Renewed Hope

 

Mixed media pages and found poetry create a narrative of how spring brings a sense of renewed hope:  "A melody of birds chirping, reclaim the silence from a frozen world, awakened out of snow and ice with a deep breath of fresh air, full of hope on the wisps of green treetops."