Artist Candice Bees creates elegant animal sculptures from bound wires, capturing graceful movements of both winged and four-legged creatures. Originally trained as an illustrator, she found its two dimensions hampering her creative spirit. “Since finding wire as a medium,” she tells us in an email, “I cannot keep up with my brain!”
Bees has spent the past two years working with wire, and she continues to push the limits of what this material can do. Bunches of it are gathered and bound, resembling bold sketched marks made with a pen or pencil—proving she’s not completely removed from the illustration world.
This gestural, energetic approach to making art is part of a larger quest to portray the natural behaviors, interactions, and movement of wild animals—no matter how small or subtle. This “show[s] the viewer the subtle side of nature that is often overlooked for the more grand poses that are so often used in sculpture,” Bees explains. “I also want to show the fragility of nature and the effects that our day to day lives can have on the life around us.”
Since beginning her sculptural journey, Bees’ enthusiasm led her to quit her job and pursue art full time. It was the right move for her; in the short time she’s been making sculptures, she has had multiple exhibitions and won the 2016 David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year in the Urban Wildlife category.
Candice Bees: Website | Facebook
My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Candice Bees.