Too Late, Too Soon...

The Natural Resources Preservation Fund of the Mackinac Island Community Foundation is presenting a juried art exhibit July 3rd - July 29th. 

16 pieces, created by 12 artists were selected for the show.... and two of them are mine!

In my ongoing effort to use beads in non-traditional ways, I created two mixed media pieces. The first is titled "Beautifully Invasive: Hawksbeard". Right now this is a familiar scene on the Island, the darkness of cedar forests, blanketed in a carpet of bright yellow. I was surprised to learn that in Michigan, hawksbeard is only seen on Mackinac at such high concentrations.

I created the piece by using gel medium to create the tree trunks (lots of texture), painted the canvas and then beaded right through the canvas to emphasize the flowers.

The second piece, "Trillium" focuses more on the native flora and was started in a similar manner, using gel medium and paint, but the bead work was first completed and then added to the canvas.

The goal of the show is to be both visually pleasing and thought provoking - consider what may happen to any environment if invasive plants and/or animals overpower and destroy the native ecosystem. History shows many examples of what can happen and it is unfortunately becoming an increasing common problem in our modern world.