Bee Taxidermy Update (with examples)

These images are the result of a very tiny (and very fun!) photoshoot. All images were taken by Christina Arsenault, check out her amazing work at www.christinaarsenault.ca

To Explain
Each bee is preserved, posed and repaired in the most careful way possible given its size. Using trial and error I have come up with a process which first involves keeping each bee in the freezer for at least twenty-four hours, this prevents any unwanted stowaways from causing damage to the finished product. Then the bee is soaked in alcohol for about a week to take care of any mold or bacteria which could take hold otherwise, bleugh!

Afterwards the bee is ready to be posed. I try to choose the most "naturalistic" pose possible in an attempt to give each bee an animated quality much in the same way you'd see a taxidermy animal posed at your local museum of natural history(try to see them as itty bitty teeny tiny bears or deer). Once these important steps are finished the bee is given a wire frame (to make it strong and semi-poseable) and filled with glue to make it as sturdy as possible.

Now the actual fun part, deciding what repairs and additions to make to the bee. I use discarded jewelry, electronics and anything else I can scavenge. The key is that the materials must be readily available and they must be reused. In the new year I will be creating an instructional video clearly showing each step of the process so that DIYers can try it themselves.

Bee Taxidermy

Here is a preliminary shot of Bee Taxidermy. Christina Arsenault ( a photography wizard) and I will be documenting a number of these bees next week. Each bee is carefully preserved and repaired by hand using discarded and reused materials.

Bee Taxidermy

As part of my now many pronged bee project I have started up a miniature taxidermy workshop in my studio. Now the bees are coming in on a weekly basis from places all over Canada and parts of the US. Bees with missing parts or perceived defects are being preserved, posed, repaired and in some cases improved either aesthetically or by being povided greater defence mechanisms. All of this is being done with a DIY philosophy using found and discarded materials that are being reused and recycled for this important purpose. In the works is an instructional video where interested parties can learn bee taxidermy in the comfort of their own homes with no specialized training and no fee. We can do this friends, one bee at a time!

I will have example images soon!

News!

New Studio

This blog post will be all about news! First of all as of the 15th of September I will be moving my art practice into a studio in the north end of Halifax (pictures to follow). This studio space comes with a gallery space as well as the company of at least half a dozen other artists. I'm looking forward to getting started in this space!

VANS Mentorship

Secondly, I have been accepted for the Visual Arts Nova Scotia Mentorship program which means I'll be paired up with a well established artist (tba) who will help me out with things such as grant and proposal writing and, for ten months, will provide a helpful critical eye to my painting practice.

May I have your Bees please?

Finally I'd like to draw your attention to a new project that I've just started. I'm collecting dead bees for an installation project in progress. I'm asking people from all over to email me their name and address and I will send you a "bee kit" which includes a self addresses stamped envelope, a small container(for the bee), a brief questionnaire(nothing too personal) and a small gift from me(poem or drawing) for your trouble.Please send your info to ruth@ruthmarsh.net

Maria McGowan Blog Post

Given the opportunity to spend $100.00 in Halifax Maria McGowan saw fit to spend it on one of my small paintings, this is what ensued.

http://therightcoastnovascotia.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-big-day-downtown-at-argyle-fine-art.html

Thanks Maria for the shout out to local artists and galleries!

A1C Website

http://www.a1cgallery.com/

Installation shots from Pareidolia

On the first night in Saint John's, while taking a break from installing, I was able to catch an artist's talk by Craig Francis Power about his residency in Beijing. This turned out to be both entertaining and inspiring. For the rest of my short two day visit to Newfoundland I tried to see as much of beautiful Saint John's as possible on foot, no small feat as it turned out, especially Signal Hill! Many special thanks to A1C board member Clare Asquith Finegan for generously allowing me to stay in her lovely home and gallery coordinator Michael Young for his help with installation and to everyone else who braved a rainy Saint John's night to come out and attend the opening!

Artist's Statement, Pareidolia

Pareidolia: From Ancient Greek para (amiss, wrong)+eidōlon, (image)

The tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the viewer, such as seeing shapes in clouds…

The word Pareidolia plays a dual role in this visual narrative. As a phenomenon equally applicable to cloud castles as oil spills, it seemed fitting that it take on, in its form and content, elements of both. It is meant to reflect a visual phenomenon first but also a place, an imagined garden. I drew source material from many places, most significantly the work of Victorian botanical illustrators whose names are lovingly referenced in the titles of many of the painting in this series.

In Pareidolia we see a world of wholesale fecundity, a coexistence of growth and death and an overwhelming, even menacing potential for life. Since this series began and developed under a real time deluge of news reports about oil in the Gulf of Mexico, it was inevitable that it became a garden grown in amorphous forms against backgrounds of black ichor. The dual nature of life and death is easily equated with this lifeblood of ancient gods, made poisonous to the touch of mortal creatures. The awkward combination of these elements is intended to suggest that our collective desires not only have size and weight but, in some cases, may be measured by the litre.

The last four.

These are the last four pieces ( each measuring roughly 24'' x 24'') of fifteen that will be shown in my upcoming exhibition. The next step is the graphic design on the catalogue which will also include the artist's statement for "Pareidolia", both to follow soon!

New Pieces!

Here are the latest pieces I've finished for my upcoming show! Each piece shown measures approximately 24'' x 24'' and is painted in a combination of my handmade egg tempera and encaustic paints. More Soon!

First Posts First

I've been pretty busy lately working on an exhibition titled "Pareidolia" that opens July 23 at A1C Gallery in Saint John's NFLD. I've never been there before and so am bursting with anticipation for my first trip to Saint John's. These are the five largest pieces for this show and measure approximately 48'' x 36''.