My name is Cath Hodsman, and I am a Cotswolds-based entomological (insects) artist, illustrator, teacher and conservationist who specialises in painting, sketching and studying insects. The raison d’etre behind my art is to achieve 100% anatomical accuracy in every artistic study I produce. I believe this is the best and most fulfilling way to connect, value and ultimately protect insects – I want more folks to hug-a-bug!
My path to becoming a full-time artist took 38 years. As a child, I was always interested in the natural world (something that came from my Dad), particularly insects and was also arty. When my youngest child was old enough to walk to school on her own, I decided to combine the two passions and go full-time as a freelance artist but also to include a vital add-on to my work. To make the main thrust of my art the conservation of insects.
Apart from producing something pleasing to the eye, the raison d’etre behind every painting I create is to educate, disseminate and celebrate insects’ beauty, intricacy, colour and ecological importance.
As a conservation artist, my aim is to help folks overcome their fear of insects through creative connectivity. I include as much physiological intricacy, textural beauty, and colour in each artistic study I produce. I also increased the scale of every painting so that the invisible, micro world of insects can easily be appreciated. I’ve seen it time after time in my work and in my teaching – As soon as the functionality behind a particular insect is understood, the fear is literally blown away. And when you understand something, you cherish it; when you cherish it, you don’t want to lose it, so each piece I produce has a very strong conservation knock-on effect.
If I’m not painting insects, I spend most of my time teaching others about insects and how to use art to capture their beauty, intricacy and splendour. This is the turbo-boost to my conservation message by teaming up with partner and host organisations who have similar aims as mine, such as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; The Eden Project; The Royal Horticultural Society; The Fields Studies Council; The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace; The National Trust, The Wetlands Trust, The Wildlife Trusts; The Natural History Museum, London, etc. I’m able to reach more folks with my “hug-a-bug” message.
In my unique and fun art workshops, I teach folks how to understand insects and then use art to capture the hidden beauty, intricacy and design perfection held within their secret world. At each event, students have exclusive use of their own dedicated microscopes, magnifying glasses and macro photographs, as well as access to my extensive insect (ethically sourced) specimen collection to study their beauty.
During my time teaching insect art, I have literally seen people reduced to tears by the hidden beauty of insect. When they leave my workshops, they are changed forever and really well…
They go home full of promises to add bee houses, log piles etc., to their gardens; to dig a pond for all sorts of invertebrates & wildlife; to stop using chemicals on their gardens; to reduce their lawn mowing regime; to add insect-friendly flowers and most importantly to tell their friends and families to do the same thing.
When you see an insect doing something in your wild space and understand what it’s doing and why, it increases your love, enjoyment and connectivity with the natural world. So the whole process is a real win-win for everyone.
As an add-on to my art, I also give talks to conservation groups, art groups, bee groups, butterfly groups etc, on how I became a bug artist and how I use art to further their conservation. These are lovely events where everyone can share their fond childhood memories of their personal connectivity with insects – at one time, we all remember lying in the long grass as children, listening, watching and connecting with the smaller things in life.
Through my insect paintings, I have also illustrated for Countryfile magazine, Leisure Painter magazine, the Amateur Entomologists’ Society’s journal, the British Beekeepers’ Association magazine etc. My work has also been exhibited at relevant venues such as WWT Slimbridge and the Royal Society….. In short, if a bug is involved, hopefully, you’ll see my name or insect art somewhere…
In addition to my artwork, I am fascinated by historic figures that advanced the understanding of insects through their creativity and inquiring minds. In many pieces I produce, I aim to emulate the accomplishments of my insect-art heroes. I do this by evoking their style or subject matter. Each of these pioneering figures has contributed so much to where we are today in our appreciation and understanding of insects.
One such hero is Robert Hooke (1635-1703)-Particularly for his ground-breaking sketches in his pioneering publication, “Micrographia” (1665). In this fascinating book, he was the first to draw what he saw whilst looking through a microscope, thereby opening a new world of wonder in subject matter like bee stings, fly eyes, ant heads and most famously, the whole body of a flea. He used his scientific eye and artistic flair to literally open the door to a new age of discovery.
Another one of my scientific–art heroes is Maria Merian (1647-1717). Merian is best known for her pioneering work on insect metamorphosis, particularly with butterflies and moths. By closely studying their whole lifecycle, she decoded much of the finer details of this amazing natural process that had previously remained locked. In addition to her observations, she was able to record what she saw in beautiful paintings. I often emulate her wonderful work by producing my own artistic studies, paying homage to metamorphosis.
On the face of it art and science are at opposite ends of the academic spectrum. However, the ability to see detail, understand it, and capture and communicate it is the basis of all scientific work. Art and science are perfect bed-fellows!
“….For verily, art is embedded in nature; whoever can draw her out, has her…..” Albrecht Durer.
Art is such a great way to connect, educate, encourage, enlighten, conserve and celebrate insects, and I can’t imagine myself ever doing anything else.
For more info on my work:
Website: www.cathhodsmanwildlifeartist.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CathHodsman
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/InsectArtByCath?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1459119913
