My gallery, called emmisoure.gallery, is opening today in Ogden, Utah. The address is 2246b Washington Blvd. And it is looking really good. If you’re ever in the area, stop by and see the bees and other art. More on this later with pics/video, etc. One thing at a time, right?
Category: Digression
Digression: 2022 Calendar Production
It’s well past time to put together the 2022 calendar. That means I need fourteen great shots (one for the cover, twelve months, and one for the back cover).
So…if you get some time, please nominate a favorite shot or few from this site for consideration. You can leave a comment on this post, or email me at thebeeguy@bees.photo.
Big bonus: if your nomination is selected for the calendar, I’ll send you a 5×7 version of it to thank you. Good fun.
Digression: This Weekend’s Art Festival – Treasure Valley – Near Boise, ID
This weekend, I’ll be at the Treasure Valley Fine Arts Festival in Meridian, Idaho: Saturday (28 August, 2021) from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Sunday (29 August, 2021) from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Have a number of new, neat shots and some otherwise pretty neat stuff.
Digression – Offer: See my Other Work
I’m terrible at self-promotion. But I do make a living with my photography – mostly at art festivals and shows. Right now, for only a few more days (until May 10th), some of my work is available at: The Virtual Best of the Northwest Spring Market. Have a look there, not only at my stuff, but at the other accomplished artists there. There’s some incredible work.
You can also support this site, which I appreciate greatly, by clicking on the link on the right (or the bottom, if you’re using a phone) under the heading Support this Site.
Also, any of the photos on this site are available as prints…or in hexagons. Here’s an example of how the hexagons are being used in an office of a company whose name is bee-themed:
Bonus and Digression – Last of the ‘BeeBabies’
The fourth of four finally opened today – here it is. So…we had a pod of bee-bred iris seeds, planted them, and they flowered this year. They’re all from the same pod – siblings – yet are very different. The other three can be found here and here and here. Neat stuff. My favorite is the purple, but this one is plenty neat itself.
Bonus AND Digression II – Three Products of Pollination
Three more products of pollination – “bee babies”. I posted the first on April 30 of this year.
The first two are shorties – 8-12 inches. The third is taller. And looks qute prolific. It’s my favorite.
Bonus AND Digression – Product of Pollination
So it’s clear that there’s no bee in this pic. BUT…this is the first bloom of a bee-created iris – so it’s their handiwork. I think it’s every bit as nice as its parents, and it has a great scent. It’s an early shorty (the tall beardeds just started opening up a day or so ago here) I’m thrilled with how it turned out. It’s a keeper.
Outcome and evidence of pollinators pollinating! And for that reason, I think it deserves a spot on the site. I think there are three others loaded up and ready to open – one of which should go today. I’ll post a pic of it when it does. Think it’s a sibling to this one.
Three-fer on a Sunflower
You’ve got the bumble in the middle, of course – the longhorn in the foreground – and who knows what that little thing is in the background behind the bumble. Not a rare thing at all. Well, maybe a little in that the longhorn seems to be okay with sharing…for now.
Now I’ll digress a little. Skip this if my otherwise commentary annoys you.
On a forum that I frequent, a person mentioned the other day that they were going to strap on their mask and go into the war zone (grocery store). I’ve reflected on that and have come to the conclusion that this virus and its lockdown have kind of separated us – even atomized us. Individual blobs at least six feet apart from one another – jealously guarding our own space. Looking askance and with suspicion at our neighbors and co-workers and co-humans. Even the masks (however necessary) are dehumanizing in their own way – I cannot see your smile.
And…just about every bit of correspondence that I receive ends with “stay safe”. I do understand. But I’d like to append stay safe with: Stay human.
We’re not at war with each other – nor are we enemies. At this time of atomization (my word), I think it’s especially important to retain our own humanity – recognize the humanity of others – and actively find appropriate ways to be the social creatures that we innately are.
I just re-read. And realized I wasn’t done. If there were ever a time to cut slack, be kind, and be slow to take offense, it’s now. People are scared. Scared people do stupid things sometimes. None of us can do much to change things on a global scale – but there’s lots we can do from the inside (within us) out (those in our orbits). You’re all sentient bee-lovers so you have a leg up (or six). Please amplify that from the inside out. That’s something we can do.
Digression – Art Show Cancellations (and the attendant traffic to this site)
Scroll down and skip this mess if you’re looking for the bees! They’re right under this wall of text.
Looks like I’m getting traffic from here from some art shows that were cancelled. I appreciate that. I also appreciate that much of what I post here is not wall-worthy art. It is not intended to be. It wasn’t meant to be a portal for sales or ecommerce. The vision was more a sharing of the joy that I get from the bees – and hopefully a way to share that joy and maybe some insights bidirectionally.
And don’t get me wrong. I want to sell my shots that are art as art. I’d like to make that my primary income stream. But that wasn’t why I chose to start this site. And as neat as today’s photo is, I’d encourage no one to put a lid of a 5-gallon bucket on their wall and call it art. But it sure as heck belongs on this site because it’s neat. The bees in it are neat. And the narrative is useful and valuable.
For art, you’ll need to scroll through the shots and be discerning – there are a good number that are not only documentary, but also art. You may also go to www.emmisoure.com for more bees and other subjects (birds, flowers, etc.). Some of which is very wall-worthy.
This lockdown caught me by surprise. Just a couple of weeks before it started, we invested a not insignificant number of thousands of dollars preparing for my first art show/fair season. I was gratified to be accepted into a number of well-known shows throughout the West, but everything is being cancelled out into August. And I’m not very prepared with an online outlet to maintain/recoup. So you’ll have to wander through the stuff on both sites (here and emmisoure.com) if you’re looking for the type of prints I’d be offering at the festivals/shows.
A good place to start for legit art is on the Greeting Cards page.
There’s a link to my ordering page in the sidebar as well as on the Ordering Prints page. Might be best to get in touch (thebeeguy@bees.photo) so we can figure out what’s best for your space.
That said, please support your local small businesses. They’re hit hard, too. If not now, later. It serves no one to have them going out of business due to this event. If you’ve got money to throw around, please try to throw some of it their way. Art is always a discretionary expense. Food is not. So you will probably choose to spend food dollars long before you’ll choose to spend art dollars. All things equal, please try to keep some of those dollars small and local – if that’s something you value (like I do).
Digression – Gear Setup
I got a nice email from a guy called Craig this morning. He asked about my gear setup for bees. I replied to his email, but it bounced. Not sure what the problem was, so I thought I’d post the answer on the site. It’s long, so I decided not to post it in-line and clog things up. If you’re interested, you can find it here: Gear Setup