The Bee Tree (of life)
The Bee Tree(of life) was the first design created for the Women & Bees and Will Bees Bespoke collaboration, it is a hand drawn heirloom design created over many months in both sketch book and digital formats to represent the importance of trees for bees and the environment.
Twenty-five different bees and their favourite trees and shrubs were selected by the ‘Women and Bees’ collective. The design contains great detail to illustrate both the intricate world of bees and the trees they pollinate. Tiny hexagons and shapes within the trunks and branches portray the hives and small spaces that bees live or nest in, whilst their slender form is to enable as much of the story to be told in a small area. The coloured florals and fruits offer shades to represent all varieties across their species.
The design was created to both encourage the planting of pollinator trees as well as bringing greater knowledge of the two species of honeybee, twenty four bumblebees and over two hundred and thirty solitary bees buzzing around the British Isles.
The design comes in 3 colour ways -
Sleep - A rich relaxing bedtime blue, representing the importance of evening rest and recuperation for bees.
Nectar - An intense and spiritual orange exuding the energy and life-force that nectar brings to bees.
Canopy - A green canopy surrounding the forage and bees that inhabit it, promoting the significance of planting trees for pollination.
The Hexagon Hive
The Hexagon Hive promotes unity and harmony within the world of bees, celebrating solitary and bumblebees within its hexagons as well as the honeybee.
Pollinator planting is key for all bees and this was the inspiration behind the design.
Each hexagon was hand drawn in a water colour sketch book and filled with garden flowers chosen by over 50 women within the Women & bees collective.
After being transferred and coloured digitally they were created to look like vintage seed packets offering floral graphics with a nod to the stylised florals of Mary Quant.
Hexagons were chosen not because of their link to honey bees, although beehives are often referred to as models for the ideal society, but because they are found in sacred shapes such as ‘the flower of life’ and are a symbol of harmony, balance, strength and good luck. Six is the number of creation and perfection offering wisdom, love, mercy and justice.
The hexagon shape is often considered to distribute force or weight evenly across its sides and any pressure or force is spread more evenly compared to other shapes. The hexagon is also the only shape resembling a circle that allows for close packing without leaving any waste space, they are of course also associated with - due to bees, teamwork and co-operation. Offering community, creativity and balance.
The design can currently be found in 2 colour ways -
Rose - A colour way symbolising love, friendship, admiration and forever promises, inspired by the hues of pollinator roses chosen for the design.
Ivy - A colour way symbolising healing, protection and unity, adding synchronicity to the message of the hexagon hive and inspired by the evergreen leaves of the ivy flower within the design.