A Different View | Jodi Reeb

These mixed-media paintings using photographs of pollinator-friendly plants were taken at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum “from the bee’s perspective”. These paintings are created by embedding photographs printed on tissue paper in the wax as collage. Reeb developed this new body of artwork after researching how to support the pollinator/bee species in Minnesota.

Jodi has been a full-time artist for 27 years and painting with encaustic paint (molten beeswax, pigment and resin) for over 15 years. These mixed-media works have the luminosity of beeswax while maintaining the graphic nature of photography. It was natural to partner with the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum as a sanctuary for bees with several hives, acres of diverse pollinator habitat and an outreach education program partnered with the University of Minnesota.

To expand on this series, Jodi also includes landscape images that are a superimposition of double exposures taken on film to create a single image and printed on tissue paper. These photos were taken at the Prairie Wetlands Center near Fergus Falls, Minnesota, during a Hinge Arts Residency awarded through Springboard for the Arts.

“Working with beeswax as my primary painting medium has me very concerned about the recent decline of the pollinator population. Modern encaustic is primarily composed of 85% natural wax, produced by honeybees. There are over 400 species of native bees in Minnesota and pollinators are declining at alarming rates due to lack of habitat and pesticide use.”

Image: Transcendence, Encaustic and photo collage, 36" x 48", 2022