Fran McReynolds – Appreciating Bees

Artist Statement

With the decline of native pollinators and honey bees over the past decade, I interpreted the importance and variety of native pollinators and how our small actions can help boost populations on a local level.

The hive frame mini accordion books and the larger hexagonal book focus on two native bee species and honey bees and their unique characteristics. Colors and textures are designed to evoke natural patterns; the furnishings of the bee keeper’s pavilion reflect human dependence on bees for food crops, honey, and beeswax. The model mason bee box is a reminder that we can help bees survive.

Materials & Technique

After layering acrylic paint on the pasteboard structure, I made lattice screen inserts, and mono printed Cougar natural 80 text for the book pages, roof inset panels, and floor. I made the hive out of matte board and hung the miniature accordion books (one for each of the featured bee species) to mimic the frames in a box-style honey bee hive. Fabric selected for the book cloth was scanned and printed on velum to augment the mono print text page backgrounds. Lydian typeface printed on a laser jet printer.

About Fran McReynolds

After over 35 years as a naturalist, environmental educator, and interpretive trainer, Fran Snow McReynolds now has more time to embrace book arts as a way to convey her passion for connections with the natural world.  Her recent move to Ferndale, Washington has given her space to experiment with growing fibers for papermaking and interesting plants for eco printing.