Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.

- Mary Kay Ash

Last evening Mary and I took an art class together. It revolved around the idea of transferring ink-jet images to wood panels and removing the paper, then embedding it all in coats of beeswax. I used photocopies of one of my icons, and also embedded some watch parts in the wax just to see how it would react to the heat process that liquefies the surface. Somehow I managed to not embed anything not wanted, like flies, dog hair food crumbs etc. The final product is actually pretty intriguing, but the downside is that while the process itself is fast the result can't really be seen for two days. The panel has to sit and cure, the surface is hazy and dull. After two days it can be buffed which will reveal the details and bring out the color. The instructor warned not to get impatient and do it too soon...she obviously knew it was going to bug me - it sits there waiting, and I walked by it this morning and itched to give it a run top see what was under the golden-hued haze. Okay I have to confess, I did buff up a little corner- and the result is fascinating. The thickness of the wax gives it a deep glow I brushed on a total of seven thick coats of wax, and there is a kind of moody, murky opaque quality I really like. Mary's project is more vibrant, a combination of her writing and photos and I really admire it for its joyousness.

This seems like a really perfect shared art-class for us. We both really have an affinity for bees - Mary is a latent bee-keeper and I spend a lot of time out in the yard digging around the flower beds and am really happy to see that the Honey Bees have come back. I was worried that they had disappeared earlier this year, but the lavender has brought them out. The wax we used is all natural and locally harvested, and while there is a filtered white version available I really can't imagine using anything but the natural stuff - it's the golden glow that is really beautiful on these projects. Then there is the smell - the room was filled with the aroma of warm honey; it was hard to leave, and when we got home I was starved, I know it was the honey that got me going.

The next step for us would be to learn Impasto, which adds a hardener to the wax, and allows a heavier buildup. We may try it. I'll be taking a candy bar with me though.