Tuesday 27 September 2011

Iconic and Eternal Bees

Hello everyone,

In my last post I mentioned the amazing feedback we are receiving about the 'Plight of the Bumblebee' exhibition, and how impressed people have been with the commitment and enthusiasm demonstrated by the artists exhibiting.  So I'd like to take a closer look at the work of another of these great artists, Sally Ann Johns.

 I distinctly remember the first time I met Sally, and the first time I was introduced to her work.  My reaction was an instant 'Wow! This is very different', and there was no doubt that this was work I'd be proud to show.  Sally's work is influenced by the iconography of the Catholic and Apostolic Churches, with her often stylised subjects surrounded by painstakingly applied gold leaf, presented in their own hand-crafted cases.  They become more than a work of art - they become 'precious artefacts', as Sally describes them.
Let's take a look at these precious artifacts:













There's a certain time in the afternoon when the sun (if it's kind enough to put in an appearance) hits Sally's work and the result is quite spectacular - it glows and is something to behold.  I should note the exact time so that we could arrange viewings of this spectacular show!  However, what has really impressed me and many others is Sally's individual care and attention to detail.  She has actually gone to the trouble of researching and pairing off her honeybees and bumblebees with their favourite flowers:

















'Bumblebee I', pastel and gold leaf on board, by Sally Ann Johns.
This flower is the Common Centuary, or Centaurium Erythraea.
And:

















'Honeybee I', pastel and gold leaf on board, by Sally Ann Johns.
A honeybee on a Purple-stemmed Aster, or Symphyotrichum Puniceum.

Very clever: not only has Sally created some very beautiful works of art, she has gone the extra mile to ensure that her carefully crafted subjects will live in happiness within an eternal vacuum of gold leaf.

Speak soon. 

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