If you want to know what the buzz is at Enter Gallery this week, it’s a beautiful new limited edition lithograph print from lauded contemporary artist, Elizabeth Waggett.
This piece, which is available exclusively at Enter Gallery now, is the second release from Waggett’s 2023 Halo Series, a collection that celebrates the circle of life, and the creatures that are fundamental to our existence.
In today’s blog, we’re chatting to Waggett to discover how she approached creating her latest bee, and to learn more about why this insect holds so much personal significance.
Halo Series
Bee is the second of three artwork in Waggett’s Halo series, with each release timed to coincide with the turn of the seasons. First came her Butterfly in spring, and now Bee has flown in just as our days heat up for summer. The third and final piece is forthcoming this autumn.
The collection depicts her chosen insects encircled in a golden halo. Speaking of the significance of this, Waggett reveals:
“Gold not only represents how special these insects are, but it represents putting them on the pedestal they deserve. We’re so terrible at looking after the planet’s wildlife – I added the halo to celebrate them, and as a circle of protection. It also represents the perfect cyclical nature of the environment, and how, no matter what humans do, nature always comes full circle.”
This artwork is designed to sit perfectly alongside other pieces from the Halo series, and also alongside Waggett’s previous bees, including sold out artworks, This is the Place, It All Comes from Here, and We Do Things Differently.
Bee Nice
Waggett’s love of bees holds much importance – not only are the insects the symbol of her home town of Manchester, but they were also the thing that she was most compelled to draw when recovering from an accident that left her unable to walk.
“The bee is something that really seems to follow me on this journey I’m on and I’m always learning new information about them. I recently discovered that bee keeping is the healthiest profession, because the vibration of the bees themselves actually does something to our bodily make up that heals diseases and helps with inflammation. So, it makes sense that I’m drawn to the bees while I’m on my journey to recovery.”
Diving a little deeper, we discovered that as well as the obvious health benefits of eating the honey they produce, bee-keeping is said to alleviate depression, to help you live longer and to sleep better.
“I often get asked, why are you drawn to this or that, and being a visual person, I don’t entirely know. It’s more of an energy draw towards a certain thing – like the lobster and the longhorn, I often wonder, why am I so drawn to these creatures?
With the bee, I guess it’s the symbol of the city that I grew up in, but energy wise and healing wise – they just feel so good for me to draw over and over again. The more I learn about them, I think there’s something else there that draws me back. They have been a kind of spirit animal over the course of my healing journey. They’re hard-working, determined, drawn to beauty – I’m happy to feel so much synergy with bees.”
Take it Easy
After spending several months in France recuperating after her accident, Waggett found her priorities and pace of life shifted. Living in a quiet village, enriched with history, heritage, and 11th century architecture, she was forced to recalibrate her life. The renewed tempo provided a clarity and focus that she openly welcomed.
Fans of Waggett’s bees will spot that compared to her other depictions, the wings on this iteration are a little more relaxed. Rather than catching the notoriously busy bee hard at work, this time Waggett has chosen to depict her bee at rest. She explains:
“This new piece represents my transition to a slower, more intentional life. I wanted to represent the bee in a state of being, rather than busy working. It’s more peaceful, which is more representative of where I’m at in my own life at the moment.”
BEE is available as a print and as an artist proof, exclusively at Enter Gallery now.
