Juried Work

Kimberly Fields & Ronald King - USA

European Bee-eater Nesting Colony

13.5.x.13.5 x 5.5     European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) are among the most colorful of all the bee-eater birds and, as their name suggests, predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps, and hornets. European bee-eaters nest in burrows excavated alongside cliff edges, sandbanks, and riverbanks. These gregarious birds can nest in colonies or in single pairs, and have been observed helping each other build their nests.

This scene depicts a nesting colony of European bee-eaters. The birds and roots are lampworked soda-lime glass. The sandy bank is made by Ronald King and constructed from foam and plaster, decomposed granite, and painted in oils.