Bees


If it hasn't already been made obvious, I draw a lot of inspiration from the places where I spent my youth. Whether it be my parents' farm, my great aunt and uncle's land, my grandfather's cabin in Quebec, or the Rocky Mountains. I have been extremely lucky!

The following image is of the abandoned house that resides on my parents' farm. Interesting fact is that my dad spent his first year there before my grandparents moved their family of seven to the other end of the farm, the house where my parents now live. Our farm has a lot of history but... the house in this shot is especially meaningful for the Graves. We all call it the old place.


My sister Emily and I would sometimes go scavenging in there to see if there were any treasures left behind. My sister Olivia, who is significantly younger than the both of us, still got the chance to live out the experience when Em and I would take her for walks. The following image is a drawing I completed back in 2010. I complete a couple series illustrating my adventures with my sisters. Perhaps I'll do more...


BEES
BY JOAN GRAVES
Burgundy, brandy
No 
I poor a yellow white wine
The buzzing in inner ear
I swallow, contemplate
Loss and time
There is a restlessness
A stir
An echo
Beating in the void
I turn to catch a glimpse 
A shadow
Chill the bone
The marrow
But nothing destroyed 
What is forgotten?
History, mystery
A place, a dream
The past
I sip again
I choose, I cheat
Haunted
Nests of thought
Sweet and sticky
This searched
Distilled
Periphery
I lay down
I continue
My ignorant
Unfulfilling sleep
Here I lay
Quiet
Awake
Ball of bees burning bright in my belly

And here is the completed painting Bees.


Song Choice: Bittersweet Melodies - Feist

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