Custom Plaques

This commission, for Climate Action Stokesley and Villages, was the perfect combination of interests for me - British wildlife and detailed vector design. I was contacted by Caryn Loftus (Director) after she saw some similar work I had done for Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. They and their volunteers had been working hard creating fabulous pollinator habitat around the busy village of Great Ayton in North Yorkshire, UK. They had a plan to create a trail around the village - linking these pollinator patches together - and needed seven plaques to act as focal points, directing visitors to a wider information base.

They already knew they wanted one plaque to depict apple blossom (1), and a further six plaques to show a variety of native pollinators (2 - wasp, 3 - hoverfly, 4 - bumblebee, 5 - peacock butterfly, 6 - honey bee, 7 - rose chafer beetle). The intention was to have them laser engraved into zinc and mounted onto oak posts. Children can take rubbings from the plaques, aiming to collect the set, and using it as a jumping-off point for further exploration.

To study the apple blossom and insects so closely was a great learning experience. There are lots of details to consider, and it was sometimes challenging to find the right artistic method to represent them. Some are beautifully shiny and irridescent, others are covered in tiny hairs, but for a purely black and white image I had to create a visual style that would give a hint of these things to the viewer. The best part for me was depicting the veins on the wings.

Across the world, pollinator numbers are in steep decline because of various human pressures, from the pesticides we use on our crops, to loss of wildflower habitat and the effects of climate change. I’d encourage anyone to learn more about how they can help support our pollinators. There are lots of organisations trying to make a difference (try Buglife, The Wildlife Trusts, and Friends of the Earth, for starters). There’s also plenty you can do in your own gardens.