I would like to share with you the meaning behind this drawing. It all started with an art exhibit in Mount Holly NC. The theme of this exhibit was about the importance of pollinators.
I thought about how pollinators help our environment. The word desolation kept popping up. How do I show a world of desolation? What medium can I use to show darkness, gloominess, "without life".
The medium and composition. (If you receive my emails skip this section)
An image of a gray sky kept popping in my mind. What medium could I use that would create the effect I was thinking about. I remembered all the hours spent drawing still lifes in charcoal. That was my answer. Charcoal allows for fast coverage as well as a beautiful gray scale.
One piece figured out. Now what? I couldn't just make a gray sky. I had to create a composition. Then I remembered a little run down cottage I drew for my father years ago. I had used black India ink because I think ink is a great way to show the details of wood. So, then this little scene of a falling down cabin in an empty field where flowers used to grow emerged.
So great I have the background, where and how do the pollinators come in?
Since colored pencil is my medium of choice, I went with that. I researched flowers that were great for pollinators and that would grow naturally in North America. I also researched native pollinators.
My drawing concept was born.
Now for the composition. How do I add the charcoal and ink background with a colored pencil foreground without smearing charcoal in the colored pencil or vice versa? Collage.
The vibrant colored pencil pollinators and flowers can be an actual top layer. Two layers. One of darkness. One of life. independent of each other but very much in need of the other.
The Flowers
Flowers:
Prairie Grass - These grasses are important to our ecosystem because they build fertile soil, hold carbon under ground to help stabilize the climate, and give native pollinators a safe place to lay eggs and grow from eggs to adults.
Butterfly Weed (Milkweed) - Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars can eat. As we destroy native milkweed, we destroy the migration landing spots for monarch butterflies.
Purple and Yellow (Black-eyed Sunsans) Coneflowers - Are very important to our ecosystem because they are drought resistant and can handle full sun. Pollinators need these plants for nectar during the hottest days of summer.
Prairie Clover - These clovers are very important because they prevent erosion and help enrich soil by balancing nitrogen. These flowers are rich with nectar giving pollinators plenty of food.
The Pollinators
Swallowtail Butterflies - These butterflies were named the 2026 Pollinator of the Year. Without these pollinators our ecosystems would be greatly impacted. Their caterpillars are a large source of food for native birds and other small wildlife. The adults pollinate thousands of flowers while eating their nectar.
Hummingbird Moths - These incredible pollinators are important to our ecosystem because they help pollinate flowers that bloom during twilight. Other pollinators have usually gone home by this time. Because they have such long proboscises they can pollinate plants that struggle to reproduce. Not only do they look similar to a hummingbird, they also flap their wings at very fast rate unlike other moths.
Bumblebees - Bumblebees are great pollinators because they spread pollen as they fly from flower to flower eating. They also help with pollination because when they hold the flower in their jaw they vibrate which shakes pollen out of the flower.
Honey Bees - (Not native to North America) are important because of the amount of pollination they do for gardens. Not only are honey bees important pollinators, they are also important to our economy. They provide wax and honey that are used in thousands of products.
The importance of this series.
I hope this series depicts the importance of pollinators in a beautiful way. We need bees, butterflies, and moths to grow food and help maintain our ecosystems. I also hope it makes you think about your impact on these beautiful insects as you walk through your life.
I look forward to sharing more insights in my next Behind the Drawing: Desolation Without Honeybees.
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