Five Million Flowers
A Tribute to Queen Bees and their Daughters

Bees gather nectar from five million flowers to make just one pint of honey, hence the name of this installation.
To highlight the plight of honey bees and colony collapse disorder, I utilize frames from my own and other beekeeper's bee hives from which the bees have died out. Pairing them with my photographs of women from around the world, which I print in a translusent gel medium, allows the images to be integrated into the bee comb. The Queen Bee is accompanied by candles which visitors light after leaving an offering for the queen (she likes shiney things).
this installation gives visitors a space in which to connect deeply with the queen bee and her daughter bees, in recognition and gratitude. I accompany the installation with a wall of information about bees, one of the most fascinating and wondrous creatures i have come to know intimately.

Art + Industry Show, American Steel Studios, Oakland, CA 2013

Beeswax frame from beehive, translucent photograph, LEDs, gold frame

Beeswax frame from beehive, translucent photograph, LEDs, gold frame

ProArts Open Studios Cataclysmic Megashear Ranch, San Francisco, CA 2014

Beeswax frame from beehive, translucent photograph, LEDs, copper, gold frame

Clay, LED, beeswax, seashells, antique camera body, copper,bones, feathers

Clay, copper foil, optical glass, steel car brake piece

Beeswax frame from beehive, translucent photograph, LEDs, gold frame

Beeswax frame from beehive, translucent photograph, LEDs, gold frame