Bellefontaine life-long resident Krista Harmon brought an awareness cause to life for her Not So Bad Art By Good People Contest for 2020 submission titled “The Queen Bee.”
Artwork created by Krista Harmon is displayed at Craft, Paper, Scissors, 142 W. Columbus Ave., alongside each of the pieces in the Not So Bad Art By Good People contest, which are available for public voting through Jan. 31. EXAMINER PHOTO | MANDY LOEHR
The quilted project features a woman riding a unicycle with bees and honeycombs throughout.
Harmon was inspired by her husband who for Christmas purchased some beehives as a new hobby.
“My ‘Queen Bee’ fit that idea,” she said. “One of the reasons my husband got a beehive for Christmas is that he gardens and does that kind of thing. We don’t necessarily want to raise honey, but (we) know they’re (bees are) important for pollination … With bees, you should be concerned about as humans because without bees we’re not going to have food and what have you.”
“It’s also not a topic a lot of people know about as far as bees.”
Although this is her first time in the Not So Bad Art By Good People Contest, Harmon is not unfamiliar with indulging in her artistic side.
“Over the years I have helped at the Holland Theater with set designs,” she said.
“I’ve always had a want for creativity. I do a little painting. The artwork at the theater was mostly backdrops and that kind of thing. I also do a little bit of stained glass mosaics and needlework. I dabble in a little bit of everything.”
For this year’s submission, Harmon utilized some new artistic skills she picked up when she retired from Honda five years ago — quilting and pottery.
“The Queen Bee” was created using quilting and raw-edge applique.
“It’s basically where you take a piece of fabric and make a form out of it or a design out of it,” Harmon explained. “Raw edge means it’s not turned under, but using a ladder stitch around it. The buttons are made out of clay.”
Her creation is unique because it’s mixed media, Harmon said.
“It’s the pottery I used in there along with the fabric,” she said.
Harmon said on her own, the project took 60 hours to complete.