Tell the Wasp

Artist Statement: I made this piece based on the Scottish practice of beekeepers telling the bees hive by hive about major events like death. This was done because bees were seen as messengers to the deceased. I exemplified this by merging the depiction of The Reaper first found in art after the Bubonic plague with this Celtic association with bees and the great beyond.

I transferred my design to the copper using embossing and repoussé. I gave it a patina by heating the metal with a hot plate. To highlight the scythe I created a pale blue and the blue is a dark red and light yellow.