Nancy Dillen’s drawing Mite Bee is one of 22 drawings selected in the Pets & Wildlife Category for the “Special Issue” of Best of Drawing Winter 2023 presented by Artists Magazine and American Artist.
One hundred thirteen artworks were selected in this year’s competition ranging in media from graphite, charcoal, ink, scratchboard and more. According to editor-in-chief, Anne Hevener, “we didn’t dim the color entirely; you’ll find marvelous examples of drawings in colored pencil or pastel, for instance, as well as works created with a mix of drawing media that often brings in notes of color.”
Mite Bee is an intriguing black-and-white drawing of an imaginary life form created from discarded elements from nature. The main piece was a segment from a palm tree root found on the banks of the Indian River where the artist lives. After photographing the root against a white background, importing into the computer, adjusting saturation, exposure, and contrast, the image was placed in Pixelmator to finalize the composition. While working on the drawing, bees legs were added to identify it as a bee or maybe not…? Dillen said, “Art should have surprises, be a feast for the eyes and encourage others to really look at art, so I do the unexpected!”
