Beekeeping Through the Ages

This artwork represents the history of beekeeping through time and our relationship with bees. Each hexagon symbolizes a window with each painting depicting a different time period and story dating back thousands of years to modern day.
Starting from the front leg to the chest,

1. Cave painting found in Spain 6000 BC,
2. Egyptian time period, hieroglyphics translates to Beekeeper,
3. Greek God Aristaeus, creator of various arts including beekeeping,
4. Medieval beekeeping collecting honey,
5. Modern day, family beekeeping, learning from generations with the invention of removable frames to properly inspect beehives.

From the back leg to the shoulder,

1. Mayan beekeeping with stingless bees,
2. Medieval tree beekeeping, climbing trees with their family names carved onto the opening of the hive, still practiced today,
3. 1600’s ship with bees to America,
4. The indicator bird, whistling back and forth, the bird indicates where the hive is,
5. Swarm catching, dating back thousands of years, and we still catch swarms of bees today.

Bees have been intertwined throughout our existence from the food we eat, mythological and religious stories, use as currency, and medicinal purposes to name a few. The arms are full of flowers with wandering pollinators looking for nectar which drips to the hands and turns to golden honey symbolizing that we have hand harvested honey for thousands of years. Glowing paint is used around the hexagons, bees, vines and flowers on the legs representing the bees continued hard work throughout the day and night
Elements and Mediums used- clay, modeling paste, acrylic paints, glow acrylic paint.
By
Nicole Zebrowski
Backyard Buzz