Searching for the Queen Bee

I'm a busy bee this month, with a show coming up, 

finishing and starting new projects, and (ugh) taxes. 

So, I'm posting a short clip of my latest preoccupation-

BEES!!!!

This clip from shows Lucyann looking for the queen.

(It's really hard to work a phone with beekeeping gloves, so excuse the vertical orientation.)

By finding the hive where the queen is located, and then relocating it, the bees will produce a new queen. 

I won't go into all of the details, because I know I can go off on tangents with my nature/animal nerd jargon and ramblings, but

it's a process called splitting hives, and it's one of the ways that bees are really flippin' amazing.

This helps beekeepers to grow colonies in the spring, and is especially helpful because some are losing up to half of their hives every year to colony collapse disorder. 

(so scary, sad, and not cool- don't use pesticides, especially systemic!)

The myriad of substances that these tiny creature create from flower juice and water boggles the mind.

They all have specific jobs, they are extremely practical, they are incredibly effective at communicating with each other, and know when to communicate certain things.

They dance out complex routes to the best food and water within teensy eensy itty bitty spaces.

It's absolutely amazing.

I need to get back to work, so I'll leave you with a quote from the 50+ year beekeeping veteran, Lucyann~

"If people worked like the bees, we'd have very few problems."

buzz buzz

wiggle wiggle

"Santa" Time Lapse

Yesterday, I was sketching out new holiday card ideas and grabbed the closest thing nearby before the idea escaped into the vapors- 

a mailer for my cards. 

I shared the sketch to my Etsy updates app 

and said the next card order would be mailed with it- 

and then I got an order right that second. 

I doubted this customer had even seen my update, and it was not a follower or fan's name I recognized, but I told him about the offer anyway. Fair is fair.

 Since he had ordered a somewhat Tori related item, I offered to do a Tori Amos sketch instead. 

(I enjoy drawing her, and I was up late in the studio anyway.) 

Sure enough, this customer didn't even know about the OOAK mailer sketch offer and was excited I was willing to still do something else.

(Santa Time Lapse Drawing)

I was happy to do a special "Santa" sketch for someone getting a 

gift for a fellow EWF. 

(That's "Ears With Feet" for you non-fans.)

And if you're not familiar with Tori as "Santa", she is one of the alter egos from American Doll Posse. 

I love having my art be a part of someone's holiday gift giving, 

so making it extra special was even better. 

This month, any Patreon supporter that purchases 4 or more cards from 

my Etsy shop  will receive an OOAK ink or oil pastel sketch on their mailer. 

Don't forget to use your codes, and contact me if you forgot yours.

I listened to Midwinter Graces while working on Santa, of course. 

Enjoy Tori singing the entire song, Pink and Glitter, here.

What's your favorite non-traditional holiday music?

Have you finished your holiday cards yet?

heart emoticon heart emoticon heart emoticon

Orlando LIVE caught me on camera

 I'm typically camera shy at art events, but Orlando LIVE cornered caught up with me at the I Believe opening reception and we had a little impromptu chat about my paintings in the show.
 There are several brief interviews with some amazing ( and much more eloquent and substantially less awkward) artists that I admire immensely, such as Linda Brandt, Dawn Rosendahl, and Janae Corrado.
(my segment begins @ 6:45)
Orlando LIVE @ City Arts Factory (Jan. '14)

National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

Do you know what today is?
Listen up and heed his advice. (All of it.)

Click HERE to see "Kiss It" in its entirety, or here to see more frogs.

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