david jp hooker
  • home
  • pottery
  • Pottery Shop
  • projects
  • blog
  • About David
  • contact me

Ceramic Bee Projects

In 2012 I began working on a series of projects that revolved around making ceramic bees. The bees came from molds I made from specimens I collected from my environment and from bees I received from local beekeepers (in some cases I used bees friends collected and shipped to me). 
These projects ask many questions about our relationship to the environment; our fears,  and our collective "blind spots." But they are also about the act of noticing, the reverence of small things, and the rhythm, tedium and delight of handmade work. 

Consider

Consider Installation at Calvin College. 2019

Borderline

Borderline installation at Louisiana College. 2014

Borderline installation as part of exhibition Oversight with Kenneth Steinbach. CIVA Gallery 212. Madison, WI. 2016


Small Bee Sculptures

Many of these small works are available. Check out my store. for current inventory.

Gold-Leaf Bee wall sculptures
ceramic, gold-leaf, cedar

Each of these terra cotta bees is covered in 24K gold-leaf and sets on a small wall-mounted pedestal made from repurposed cedar. 

Amber-Glazed Bee sculptures
ceramic
Made from molds of actual bees, each of these works is about 1" long. The amber glaze adds a richness to the surface that is hard to see in a photo. 

A blog post about the making of the molds can be found here.

About David  

David J. P. Hooker lives and works in the greater Chicago area, where he is an artist and Chair of the Art Department at Wheaton College. He received an M.F.A. in Ceramics from Kent State University and a B.A. in English from Furman University. 
 
His artistic practice explores the inherent value of materials, objects, and places, hoping to find ways to better connect and understand the world we live in. Recently he was awarded the Dunhuang Ceramic Residency and spent two months as artist in residence in Lanzhou, China. 
 
When David is not freaking out over deadlines, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Elaine, his children Abbey and Samuel, and the family cat, Evee. He also enjoys baseball, BBQ, and tennis—not necessarily in that order.

​

Contact David

  • home
  • pottery
  • Pottery Shop
  • projects
  • blog
  • About David
  • contact me