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May 20 is World Bee Day. There are ~20,000 different bee species in the world. Here in Ontario we have at least 400 native bees (none of which are the honeybees, which are from Europe). Bees are key to pollination. According to the UN nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species depend, entirely, or in part, on animal pollination, along with more than 75% of the world’s food crops. Further, worldwide ~35% of 🧵

#linocut #printmaking #WorldBeeDay #nativeBees #mastoArt

As described this 16” x 20” linocut print combines gold text in a central circle reading “OUR FATE” arching upwards, “IS TIED” horizontally across the middle, “TO THAT OF THE INSECTS” arching downwards in two lines with insects. Clockwise from top: two leaf cutter bees (Megachile relativa and M. brevis), the Imperial moth (Eacles imperialis), the Virgin Tiger moth (Apantesis virgo), an Isabella’s Longwings butterfly (Nymphalidae Eueides isabella), a blue orchard mason bee (Osmia lignaria), a firefly (Photinus pyralis), the rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis), a white underwing moth (Catocala relicta), an eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica), a sweat bee (Agapostemon sericeus), a hummingbird clearwing moth (Hermaris thysbe), the common eastern bumblebee (B. impatiens), a long-horned bee (Melissodes sp.), a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and centre: eastern snail-shell nesting bee (O. conjuncta).
#mastoart #linocut #printmaking #worldbeeday #nativebees

Another day in the print room yesterday. First big A2 etching is off the press, lots I want to change about it if course, but happy with the cropped bit in the first pic 😅

#printmaking

Section of printed etching with giant stinging jellyfish floating above a tiny person, between dark jagged rocks
The whole etching plate with hand for scale. The plate is a sheet of zinc with a laser cut outer edge that follows the contours of the rocks and waves
The etching plate sat on an big old cast iron Rochat printing press, in a print room with a gnarly old wood floor, big work benches, hotplates and lots of drying scrim in the background
#printmaking

Well I need to learn how to evenly ink big etching plates like this, but the plate itself seems ok! It takes a full hour to ink it up, and it's physically exhausting... I don't think I'll ever work with plates this big again after the 3 planned ones, but I'm learning loads from it at least. Anyway, 1/3 good to go.

#printmaking

Printed etching of a breaching whale above crashing waves
Full print shown at an angle with a hand for scale, the print is A2 on larger paper. The etching plate was laser cut into the outline shape of the waves and mountains.
Right at the top of the print there is a tiny arctic fox peeking out from behind one of the craggy sharp mountains
#printmaking

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