Apis mellifera at home
To the right is a piece by Brannin Benson titled, "Apis mellifera at home." The featured artwork pieces are etchings on artist's conks. According to mushroom expert Michael Kuo (2004), artist's conks are actually a species of fungus named Ganoderma applanatum, which is found in all fifty states. Its caps are from 5-75 cm (about 2-30 inches) or larger. G. applanatum is perennial and can grow for several years. G. applanatum is sometimes parasitic by growing from the wounds of injured, living trees. More commonly, however, G. applantum is saprobic, beneficially decomposing the dead wood of fallen trees or stags (upright, dead trees). It is called the artist's conk because its white, porous underside is canvas-like and will easily bruise brown with any pressure. When dried and kept inside, the conks can retain this bruising for many years. (Kuo, 2004).
To the right is a piece by Brannin Benson titled, "Apis mellifera at home." The featured artwork pieces are etchings on artist's conks. According to mushroom expert Michael Kuo (2004), artist's conks are actually a species of fungus named Ganoderma applanatum, which is found in all fifty states. Its caps are from 5-75 cm (about 2-30 inches) or larger. G. applanatum is perennial and can grow for several years. G. applanatum is sometimes parasitic by growing from the wounds of injured, living trees. More commonly, however, G. applantum is saprobic, beneficially decomposing the dead wood of fallen trees or stags (upright, dead trees). It is called the artist's conk because its white, porous underside is canvas-like and will easily bruise brown with any pressure. When dried and kept inside, the conks can retain this bruising for many years. (Kuo, 2004).
Apis mellifera at work
The piece to the right here is a double etching on one conk done by Holly Hamilton, titled, "Apis mellifera, at work." This is the first time these pieces have been exposed to the public. The featured artists, Brannin Benson and Holly Hamilton, reside in Newport, Oregon. They currently create artist conk etchings with natural themes. Both Brannin and Holly believe in permaculture as a way of life and have a great appreciation for the beauty of nature and our responsibilities as concious human beings to live sustainably. This theme is carried through in their art; the pieces are from local forests where they live. They hike out into local woods and marshes to hunt for the conks. Once located, extreme care has to be taken to harvest the conk (and to hike home with it in hand) without bruising the fragile, porous canvas. Once home, the artists use different tools to etch (bruise) images, designs, or scenes onto the conks. The images and scenes again follow the theme of appreciation of local nature and wildlife. The pieces shown here are from the "Pollinators" series, depicting native pollinators of the Oregon Coast.
The piece to the right here is a double etching on one conk done by Holly Hamilton, titled, "Apis mellifera, at work." This is the first time these pieces have been exposed to the public. The featured artists, Brannin Benson and Holly Hamilton, reside in Newport, Oregon. They currently create artist conk etchings with natural themes. Both Brannin and Holly believe in permaculture as a way of life and have a great appreciation for the beauty of nature and our responsibilities as concious human beings to live sustainably. This theme is carried through in their art; the pieces are from local forests where they live. They hike out into local woods and marshes to hunt for the conks. Once located, extreme care has to be taken to harvest the conk (and to hike home with it in hand) without bruising the fragile, porous canvas. Once home, the artists use different tools to etch (bruise) images, designs, or scenes onto the conks. The images and scenes again follow the theme of appreciation of local nature and wildlife. The pieces shown here are from the "Pollinators" series, depicting native pollinators of the Oregon Coast.
More political information about the artists and the inspiration for the "Pollinators" series
The "Pollinators" series is dedicated to the keystone pollinating species of insects in the northwest. The artists are in the process of doing Bombus franklini pieces. The artists place merit on these (any many other) keystone species and would like to raise public awareness and appreciation, especially for our local, native pollinators. Honey bee species have been experiencing "colony collapse disorder." Many other species have to deal with both intentional extermination by humans, and inadvertent extermination by humans using pesticides, both in application and residual pesticides that leech into the surrounding environment and stay there killing, and killing, and killing. The artists believe that these chemicals should be banned along with nuclear weapons and any other senseless destructive or polluting practices or chemicals. The artists believe humans should gain consciousness and responsibility for their daily actions and stop letting laziness, convenience, advertisement, and mass consumption destroy our entire planet and all the life on it.
According to Laura Beans (2013), an Eco News reporter, 50,000 bumblebees showed up dead and dying in Wilsonville, Oregon, at the beginning of pollinator week no less. Beans goes on to say that it was confirmed that the neonicotinoid pesticide, "dinotefuran" was the agent used irresponsibly by humans that killed the bees. These chemicals, Beans continues, are taken up by a plant's vascular system and show up in pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets. Beans acknowledges that although some attention is being given to honey bee "colony collapse disorder," native pollinators are not being considered in pesticide risk mitigation nor application. Several crops in the Willamette Valley, Beans continues, are heavily dependent upon bumblebees for pollination, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, crop seed production, and tomatoes. Tomatoes especially, Beans explains, require "buzz pollination" from bumblebees- no bumblebees, no tomatoes.
After an interview, Beans quotes: "Mace Vaughn, pollinator conservation program director with the Xerces Society, told [Beans and] Oregon Live, “Bumblebees are the single most important natural pollinator in Oregon.” (Beans, 2013). Neonicotinoids don't kill mammals as easily as insects which is why they are used as pesticides; however, they are also residual-they don't break down easily and will bio-accumulate. One has to ask oneself why we are poisoning ourselves, as well as our environment? If it is for commerce, it seems the farmers are shooting themselves in the foot by killing beneficial insects necessary for a healthy, productive farm. If these pesticides are taken up by the vascular system of a plant, then they are in the fruits and vegetable that we eat, everyday. Take a moment to think about the produce you eat, and visualize the odorless, colorless, tasteless, poisonous pesticide in the food you ate and will eat. Will this pesticide accumulate in our bodies as well as the environment? What would it take for us to stop using them? The artists think pesticides should be banned by law and enforced harshly. If you disagree with pesticide use, please buy organic and tell your friends not to use pesticides.
The "Pollinators" series is dedicated to the keystone pollinating species of insects in the northwest. The artists are in the process of doing Bombus franklini pieces. The artists place merit on these (any many other) keystone species and would like to raise public awareness and appreciation, especially for our local, native pollinators. Honey bee species have been experiencing "colony collapse disorder." Many other species have to deal with both intentional extermination by humans, and inadvertent extermination by humans using pesticides, both in application and residual pesticides that leech into the surrounding environment and stay there killing, and killing, and killing. The artists believe that these chemicals should be banned along with nuclear weapons and any other senseless destructive or polluting practices or chemicals. The artists believe humans should gain consciousness and responsibility for their daily actions and stop letting laziness, convenience, advertisement, and mass consumption destroy our entire planet and all the life on it.
According to Laura Beans (2013), an Eco News reporter, 50,000 bumblebees showed up dead and dying in Wilsonville, Oregon, at the beginning of pollinator week no less. Beans goes on to say that it was confirmed that the neonicotinoid pesticide, "dinotefuran" was the agent used irresponsibly by humans that killed the bees. These chemicals, Beans continues, are taken up by a plant's vascular system and show up in pollen, nectar, and guttation droplets. Beans acknowledges that although some attention is being given to honey bee "colony collapse disorder," native pollinators are not being considered in pesticide risk mitigation nor application. Several crops in the Willamette Valley, Beans continues, are heavily dependent upon bumblebees for pollination, such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, crop seed production, and tomatoes. Tomatoes especially, Beans explains, require "buzz pollination" from bumblebees- no bumblebees, no tomatoes.
After an interview, Beans quotes: "Mace Vaughn, pollinator conservation program director with the Xerces Society, told [Beans and] Oregon Live, “Bumblebees are the single most important natural pollinator in Oregon.” (Beans, 2013). Neonicotinoids don't kill mammals as easily as insects which is why they are used as pesticides; however, they are also residual-they don't break down easily and will bio-accumulate. One has to ask oneself why we are poisoning ourselves, as well as our environment? If it is for commerce, it seems the farmers are shooting themselves in the foot by killing beneficial insects necessary for a healthy, productive farm. If these pesticides are taken up by the vascular system of a plant, then they are in the fruits and vegetable that we eat, everyday. Take a moment to think about the produce you eat, and visualize the odorless, colorless, tasteless, poisonous pesticide in the food you ate and will eat. Will this pesticide accumulate in our bodies as well as the environment? What would it take for us to stop using them? The artists think pesticides should be banned by law and enforced harshly. If you disagree with pesticide use, please buy organic and tell your friends not to use pesticides.