The Bumble Bee, Painted with Feathers, 150 x 100 cm, Ink and Acrylic on Canvas.
I stopped working on this painting at the first photograph (below) for a year as I loved the simple lines and marks on raw canvas. This week I returned to the painting as somehow stopping meant losing the opportunity to explore the possibilities available and find depth as well as freedom.
The Bumble Bee is inspired by the summer hedgerow – the bee garden – wild roses, foxgloves, bay willow herb, dandelions. The first bee of the year flew into the studio this week, drawn by the colours of the painting, heralding both the continuation of life on planet Earth and making me very happy. I like the idea of the subject being so tiny on such a big canvas.
The early stage has a lot of free vertical lines and marks which I love. However, the painting came together as an entity for a second time when I added the horizontal spaces, a band of dandelion clocks at the bottom and horizontal lines at the top indicating the busy movement of birds and bees as well as sky.
I’ve had a lot on my mind this week and been somewhat discombobulated, so am very grateful to this painting for occupying my attention all week and giving me somewhere joyous to dwell helping me recalibrate to ease and freedom.
I ‘recombobulated’ (that really should be a word!) as the painting resolved! Thank god for painting, it’s sanity in a sometimes crazy and confusing world!
