“Pollinators”

“Pollinators” is an eight foot tall ceramic and steel pillar sculpture. Featuring colorful relief carvings, “Pollinators” honors the quiet insects and birds that tirelessly contribute to the renewal of many plant species. About 30 percent of agricultural crops grown throughout the world depend upon these small creatures for their reproduction. In addition, butterflies light up our gardens with their beauty and bees add sweetness to our lives with the many flavors of honey they produce.

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) highlights the front of the pillar. The carvings represent the honey comb, a queen bee surrounded by worker bees, the various stages of the egg and larva growth, and the bees feeding on the nectar and gathering pollen from flowers in the sunlight.

The back side of the pillar features butterflies, primarily the monarch (Danaus plexippus). The monarch egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and adults in flight are depicted in the carvings. At the top are found a swallowtail butterfly (Papilionidae) and its face, and lastly a Parnassian butterfly.

Alternating profiles of a moth and hummingbird line the two sides of the pillar.

Private collection.