The Beneficial Insects artist’s book is in progress.
Moving from an urban to a rural environment refreshed an interest in nature, manifesting in my art as compositions that combine micro and macro perspectives while creating a landscape narrative. I have found so many great stories within the lives of insects.
The Beneficial Insects artist book project started in 2014 with access to Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest’s “Local Use By Local Artists” program. After time spent drawing and photographing Bernheim’s insect collection, the idea of narrowing the field of insect subjects to beneficial insects was decided. The discovery of so many insects, especially in the garden, made me wonder if they were friends or foes – so the idea of focusing on beneficial insects seemed like a good choice. Progress on the illustrations continued as an Artist-In-Residence at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (Minneapolis, Minnesota) with funds and dedicated studio time in a well-equipped facility July 27 through August 9, 2015. Finally, in early 2017, I received generous support from the Kentucky Foundation for Women through an Artist Enrichment Grant to help finish the project.
What are beneficial insects? Beneficial insects are insects that pollinate trees and plant-life while they collect nectar from flowers. Insects that are predators of undesirable, destructive insects are also seen as beneficial to human activities. There are many more beneficial insects than what I have included in my book, but you can count on dragonflies, parasitic wasps, pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, assassin bugs, assassin flies, lady beetle larvae, spiders, and house centipedes to benefit you in your garden, yard and house—but, of course, these definitions are very subjective.
The Beneficial Insects book is comprised of 36 pages with 10 original, multi-color relief engravings. The page sizes are 6 inches high by 7 inches wide. A limited edition of 30 letterpress books and a possibility of a commercially printed version are planned. Joanne Price is the author, artist, printer and binder for this exciting project.
This project is very slow and time consuming because of the process necessary to create the illustrations. Each illustration is hand drawn and then transferred to a printing block. Then the image must be engraved/carved so that it stands in relief. The first of the print matrices to be created is called a “key block”. The key block is then transferred to 3-4 separate blocks and each is engraved/carved based on the color that will be printed from it. Then each block is printed together—one on top of the other—to create the final image. After several color trial proofs, the image is hand-printed, one color at a time, one piece of paper at a time. Each image has taken an average of 4 months to complete.
Here’s an excerpt from the introduction of Beneficial Insects:
Since childhood, I have intermittently found myself marveling at the variety of insects and their unique behaviors and habits. After relocating to rural Kentucky from urban Minneapolis in fall 2012, I found myself looking and listening for the landscape’s narrative. Living away from the city has inspired a reconnection with the insect world and the natural rhythms of nature and time. That reconnection has led me to the creation of a book that highlights beneficial insects.