Matted Art Print- Mat Size: 8"x10" | Image Size: 4"x6"
Unmatted Art Print- Print Size: 8"x10" | Image Size: 7"x9"
This is a hand signed print of an original watercolor painting titled "Pokeweed and Carpenter Bees". Each image is printed with archival inks on watercolor paper stock for a long lasting print resistant to fading. For every print sold, I will be donating 10% of the profit to wildlife rehab facilities, organizations & sanctuaries.
A Note from the Artist:
This painting symbolizes a lot of things for me, but mostly it symbolizes misunderstanding. I generally use my watercolor art to advocate for wildlife, native plants, and native pollinators. However, this particular painting was inspired by a poem I had written about these two species. They seem as though they would be vastly different from one another, but actually share a commonalty of being misunderstood by humans.
This art print will include the poem I wrote that inspired this painting.
Poem title: "My Pokeweed Sister & Carpenter Bee Brother"
My pokeweed sister emerges from the soil,
Forceful and determined
As the spring weather warms,
I watch as she stands taller,
An unyielding vigor floods her veins
Leaves far larger than my hand are illuminated by the sun,
Making them the color of a ripe lime
Her stems,
A contrasting fuchsia,
Stand out like a cardinal in the depths of winter
As I sit and admire my pokeweed sister,
Leaves dancing in the wind,
I hear the sound of my carpenter bee brother
A boisterous buzzing that provides a comfort to me,
Like the call of a mourning dove from childhood
His plump body moves from flower to flower,
Harvesting sweet nectar and pollinating along the way
I look at these two marvelous beings before me,
Tied together by an invisible string of misunderstanding
Humans cut down and remove my pokeweed sister,
Humans hang traps to woo my brother’s mate to her death
Humans use words like dangerous, invasive, territorial, and aggressive to describe my siblings
But my pokeweed sister and my carpenter bee brother are more than these stale, worn-out words
My sister and brother are providers.
One provides deep purple berries for birds and other fauna
One provides an invaluable service of pollinating plants
Both keep our ecosystem alive.
An ecosystem whose harmonious balance is perpetually disrupted by misunderstanding
I watch my carpenter bee brother hover in front of me, defending the home we share together
I watch a mockingbird land on the hot pink stems of my pokeweed sister, receiving the gift of her sun-ripened berries
I watch.
I listen.
I learn.
I understand.
In between my pokeweed sister and carpenter bee brother is where I find peace,
They have become family
I have learned to stand tall like my pokeweed sister.
I have learned to defend like my carpenter bee brother.
We grow together and share our lessons with the world,
