Bee Habitat in Cyanotype

Background

In seventh grade my teacher gave me a packet of cyanotype paper, and I’ve been fascinated by taking photos with the sun since.  As lead worker bee at BGO, a grassroots nonprofit centered on bee habitat conservation through research, regeneration, art, and education, I spend the field season studying the relationship between bees, flowers, soil, and people. 

Always contemplating methods to creatively bring people along with me - to understand and appreciate the value of bees and healthy flower-filled landscapes, I became I inspired to combine my love of cyanotype prints with my observations. 

Process

Myself and the BGO team have been observing and collecting bees on landscapes that we directly manage, or on projects that we partner on.  Our primary goal with our habitat projects are to observe and collect bees to understand the landscape and how we can work with ranchers, farmers, and wine grape growers to best provide habitat for the local bee populations. 

An important part of the process is to identify the bees we’re observing and catching.  After spending many hours peering at vein patterns on bee wings and markings on bee faces in the microscope – I enter data into spreadsheets for analysis, and the bees are “pinned” in an entomological collection. 

I thought there could be a more engaging way to show off these bees, in addition to a classic entomological collection.  So, I started gathering and pressing flowers from our projects.  After the flowers are preserved, I take photos of them using the sun.

This is a process called cyanotype, a slow-reacting photographic printing process.  I mix ferric ammonium citrate and potassium ferricyanide (chemicals sensitive to UVA radiation) together and paint the liquid onto cold-pressed watercolor paper.  After it dries, I lay a page with flowers arranged over it in the bright mid-day sun.  When the paper is exposed to the sun it produces a cyan-blue stain, yet the shadow of the flower remains white.  I fix the piece with a simple water bath, and hang to dry.  Cyanotype was discovered in 1842, and popularized by artist and botanist Anna Atkins, often considered the first female photographer.

The final steps are to match our bee data to the flower they pollinate. I either make a print with a photo of the bees, burnish a photo of the bees onto some beeswax painted onto the cyanotype, or pin bees from our collection to their flower prints then embellish the bee wings with gold leaf and speckle the prints with gold “pollen” to signify beauty, value, and connection. 

The prints are then framed with reclaimed barn wood, collected and made in the US, to tie the piece back to agriculture – where we work to create refugia for bees and people.

Click here for photos and videos on my Instagram stories of the work and process.

Projects & Exhibitions

  • In September of 2022 I participated in a self-directed residency at the PLAYA Summer Lake where I created, or finished, 20 pieces. BGO leased the Gambrel Gallery for our annual fundraiser, Hive to Glass, where we exhibited the art - and the entire show sold out in one night.

  • Starting in November of 2022 there with be a permanent exhibition of Bee Habitat in Cyanotype in the gallery at Trisaetum Winery. Visit this page to learn more about this exhibition, and this page to learn more about our Bee Friendly Vineyards project.

  • I had the great honor of being selected as an artist and writer in residence at the Pine Meadow Center for Arts and Agriculture in Sisters, Oregon, in late summer of 2023. During my two week residency, I worked on cyanotypes, writing, and studying bees and flowers at Pine Meadow Ranch. I collaborated with Ranch Manager, Pam Wavrin, in advance to implement a “Regenerative Bee Pasture,” to utilize during my residency (check out the results here). I gave a lecture, an open studio tour, and led a pasture walk at Pine Meadow and also visited local ranches and beekeeping operations during my residency.

  • Saturday, March 9th, 6-8pm, Jacksonville, OR: Reception for the Miner's Bazaar "Attracted to Light" Community Show, come enjoy music from the Mountaintop Sound Band and libations and snacks hosted by Rosie. The show will run from March 9th to April 28th. Visit TheMinersBazaar.com for more information.

  • Friday, April 5th, 5-8pm, Ashland, OR: First Friday Art Walk studio warming party at Enclāve Studios, more information coming soon!

  • July 5th - 28th, Jacksonville, OR: Bee Habitat in Cyanotype Art Exhibition at Miners Bazaar. Visit their website for gallery hours.

  • Saturday, July 20th 6-9:30pm, Jacksonville, OR: Bee Habitat in Cyanotype Artists Talk and Reception, featuring the Alquimistas, honey-themed drinks, and more (!!) at Miner’s Bazaar. More information coming soon!

  • October (date TBD), Ashland, OR: Ashland Open Studio Tour presented by the Ashland Gallery Association, Bee Habitat in Cyanotype at Enclāve Studios, where we’ll also host the after party!

  • There are more residencies, exhibits, and workshops in the works for 2024, sign up for our newsletter using the “Join the Hive” form below to be the first to know about our upcoming opportunities to connect!