A friend who knew that I was interested in all kinds of natural specimens called me to tell me that a colony of Bald-faced hornets had built a nest on her third-story window. The insects had cemented the outer paper covering right to the face of the glass so that one could see right into the inner comb. Bald-faced hornets, like many wasps, nibble on dried wood and masticate the fibers to a pulp with their sharp jaws. This sticky pulp is then used to “paper” the nest, one millimeter at a time. The silvery stripes of the nest’s paper covering indicate the insects’ strategy for building their home.

It was winter and so I was able to gently scrape it from the glass and remove it intact. This drawing was the result of the observations I made after I got it home. There were a few (dead) individuals left plus a few larval forms in cells that didn’t last in the cold weather. Additionally, there was another species of wasp attempting to overwinter in the nest.

At the time this drawing was made, I was preparing and working on my first portfolio to “break into” the field of illustration (1992) and so this image became part of that grouping of work.

The drawing is 22” x 30” and done on a single sheet of Arches paper (archival, 140 lb), and executed in various hard and soft graphite.

Art will be shipped flat, sandwiched between layers of fome core and cardboard and sent USPS Priority 2-day Mail and insured.

Feel free to contact me with an offer and thank you!