It Is Fantastic That Glenda Orr Visit My Exhibition Too.

It is fantastic that Glenda Orr visit my exhibition too.

“Gaiya. Building houses for the Sugar Bugs”. Etching, aquatint, chine-colle,

a la poupe. 2019.

Statement for "Gaiya. Building houses for Sugar bugs" etching created for "Of Foresters, Farmers and Fish: Tales from the Wildwood of the Old and New Worlds"

From history we know too many stories of gross misuse of natural resources. However, now we learn from our mistakes. We are getting better in understanding nature and are becoming skilled in helping to our forester neighbours.

In the last couple of years, we have heard horrible stories about loss of honey bees around Europe and America. It is seems difficult to find the reason. So far, this disaster has not come to Australia. However, Australia has its own native bees as an alternative, if the disaster dose come.

There are over 1500 varieties of native stringless bees through out Australia. Indigenous people call them 'Sugarbugs' in English and many names in native languages. For instance, Gubbi Gubbi people of the Sunshine Coast area call them Gaiya. Recent research suggests that native bees play an important role in the pollination of macadamia, blueberry and mango crops. In some cases, they are better pollinators than European bees.

Native bees can be solitary, semi solitary or social. Only several native bees are social. Also, it is difficult to make them produce honey. If one hive of European bees produces about 50 kg of honey in one year, one hive of native bees will produce only 1kg of honey. Most Native bees are more fragile than the European honey bees, and greatly suffer from deforestation. However, we all could help them by growing plants attractive to native bees in our gardens: Angophora, Eucalyptus, Grevillea. We also could help solitary bees by building single houses for them in blocks of hardwood drilled with holes or Biome Bee Houses (see one on my etching).

Furthermore, we could build split boxes for bee hives of social bees. For example, the Zabel Beekeeping Australia business in 2004 went to North Queensland in Aurukun, Weipa and Mapoon to deliver basic training to Indigenous people in box building, establishing colonies and bee keeping skills. In 2009 they became an established bee keeping business.

Another example is the Star Entertainment Group partnership with, the local Aboriginal community on North Stradbroke Island to boost native honey production. With the help of a CSIRO entomologist, Aboriginal people will build 140 boxes for hives, look after them and collect honey. This honey will be sold through Star restaurants and bars.

That is what my Wildwood story etching is about.  In "Gayia. Building houses for 'Sugarbugs'" I depicted an Indigenous man with a Biome house. He is looking at how native bees are pollinating flowers. In the background I depicted, saved from clearing, an old tree full of holes - homes for the bees. Also, there are gardens, growing in the city area - feeding places for the native bees. As well, there is a shed, where people build split houses for social native bees. Collecting honey from native bees is a very new business and more difficult compared to European bee businesses. This business will need to overcome many difficulties, but the reward will be real honey and bigger crops.

In addition, at front of etching is a complicated chine-colle patch, which represents the honey. On that patch I depicted the real hero: the Austroplebeiacincta worker an Aussie native bee. I created my etching with two plates, four colours, aquatint and chine-colle techniques.

"Platypus with baby". Series "For the love of Wildlife". Etching, aquatint. 2019.

I hear many interesting things about my art on the opening.

"Bush-Stone Curlew". Series "For the Love of Wild Life". Etching, aquatint. 2019

Here is the poster of our exhibition. It is still open, so come soon... It will be close on 16.11.19