Artist Statement by Dorothy Doherty
It was never my intention to create a video about Stink Bugs. Rather, I caught the bugs in glass jars to trap them, as my way of dealing with the abundance of stink bugs in my home. In the Fall of 2022, Vancouver had a serious invasion of stink bugs. They entered our homes through the smallest cracks. Once inside, they hunkered down for a cozy winter and hid in books, clothes, and stacks of paper. They were docile and easy to catch. I observed their anatomy and witnessed their behaviour as they climbed the walls of their transparent prisons. They even walked upside down along the glass floors of the inverted jars. And for a closer look, cell phone videos made it possible to examine their shield-like exteriors and soft underbellies as they crawled around the clear glass jars.
Dorothy Doherty Bio
Dorothy Doherty is concerned with the effect humans have on the environment. Her artwork blends abstraction and realism, and examines issues including urban decay, global issues, and the beauty of the world around us. She received her formal art education at Vancouver School of Art (Emily Carr University of Art & Design) and Capilano University. She holds an MA in Art History (University of Victoria) and a PDP (Simon Fraser University). She taught ceramics in the Kootenays and the BC Interior, part time credit courses for Cariboo College (now Thompson Rivers University), as well as art and civilizations part time for SD44 (North Vancouver). She paints at Portside Studios and makes ceramics at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby, BC.
Credits
Video & Photos
Dorothy Doherty
Mentors
Lorna Boschman
Sebnem Ozpeta
Editor
Lorna Boschman
Thanks to grunt gallery, Vancouver Foundation and Digital Stories Canada.
