Bees: Nature’s Tiny Masterpieces
Now – August 28, 2026
Reception: Auguest 7 | 5–8 PM
Featuring
Allison Norfleet-Bruenger – Jewelry & Assemblages
Alison Bozaarth – Watercolor
Marilyn Callahan – Pastel Painting & Ceramics
Patrice Aitch – Blown Glass
Laura Lebeda – Charcoal & Mixed Media
Liz Davison – Fiber Arts
Carla Duncan – Fiber Mixed Media
Leah Merriman – Encaustic Painting
Green Door Art Gallery is delighted to present Bee Inspired – an exhibition celebrating one of nature’s most essential and fascinating creatures.
Through painting, sculpture, mixed media, jewelry, glass and fiber art some of our most talented LOCAL artists explore the beauty, mystery, and vital role of bees in our world.
From vibrant botanical scenes to imaginative interpretations of hives, honeycombs, and pollinators, this collection highlights the delicate relationship between bees, flowers, and the ecosystems that sustain us. The exhibit serves as both a celebration of nature’s artistry and a reminder of the importance of protecting these remarkable pollinators.
Whether you’re drawn to bold contemporary works or quiet reflections on the natural world, Bee Inspired offers something for every art lover.
Join us in honoring the small creatures that make such a profound impact on our lives—and discover artwork that will leave you buzzing with inspiration.
Featured Artists
Allison Norfleet-Bruenger
Allison L. Norfleet Bruenger has loved art all of her life. She studied art throughout her childhood. She attended the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. Allison received her Bachelor of Fine Art in Retail Advertising with a Fashion Illustration emphasis.
Throughout the years Allison has participated in a variety of art shows and exhibitions throughout the Midwest and the south. As time progressed, Allison homed in on her skills in jewelry design, sculptural ceramics, and mixed media. She attended Maryville University in St. Louis where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Metalsmithing / Jewelry Design in May 2008. She is a Juried Member of Best of the Missouri Hands, a member of the Society of Midwest Metalsmiths, and a Juried member of the Greater St. Louis Art Association.
Alison Bozarth
Alison Bozarth is a mixed-media artist based in St. Louis, MO. Her work uses illustrative concepts to express environmental crises in both animals and botanical. Materials are layered upon each other in a blended effort to find harmony, pencil with watercolors, along with etching for texture, finishing with cold waxes. Her work is imbued with an interaction to “find yourself back in nature,” where the work becomes both a reflection and a window. She holds the first BFA in Illustration from Webster University and has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions in the Midwest while maintaining an art gallery and coordinating a growing art fair. Find more of her work at
Marilyn Callahan
Marilyn Callahan creates “Wild” ceramic birds that one cannot help but comment, “They make me laugh.” Their poses and expressions inspire a send of Pixar. The versatility of the acrylic paint and the richness of glazes help to enhance the details and painterly surfaces. With a sprinkling of bling, a wisp of feathers, and a name that suits each critter, these Wild Birds can easily make you smile.
Marilyn had the best job in the whole world. Before retiring in 2019, she taught high school and elementary school children how to love and revel in their art. “Nothing compares to a child’s fearlessness and passion for art.” She now works as a full-time grandma and working professional artist.
Laura Lebeda
Laura Lebeda is a professional artist and teacher residing in St Louis, Missouri. She completed her in MFA in drawing and painting from Fontbonne University. Her undergraduate studies include graphic design, technical illustration and architecture, including study abroad in Europe. She was a recipient of the Regional Art Commission Grant, 2018.
Her drawings and mixed media artwork focus on the strength, fragility and beauty of the natural world, and our human relationship within it. She has exhibited in galleries and juried art fairs, selling work internationally and receiving numerous awards.
Carla Duncan
It all started with a picture seen on Pinterest. Five tubes covered with hand-stitched fabric in a corner of an art gallery in an international fiber show. Later when I was getting ready for my first show with another felter, I created three felted prototype tubes destined for a tall wall between our family room and kitchen.
My husband and I decided to improve on the tube concept by trimming the back off allowing it to hug the wall.
After several years of putting fabric on tall tubes, I started putting painting on canvas on tubes. A friend asked me to explain one of my abstract tube paintings, and then asked me to paint a giraffe on a tube for her and my animal line was born. I love how life’s twists and turns take us places we could have never dreamed of going. Thank you, life, for that!
Each tube painting is treated for conservations purposes. Tubes are wired to hang down taking up a small footprint in a hallway with a high visibility impact, and they may be hung horizontally as well and look great over a sofa.
Felt, nunofelt, acrylic paintings, giclée fine art prints, cold wax & oil and sometimes a combination of several mediums all adorn my tubes.
Duncan Designs also works with customers to create custom pieces for their home.
Patrice Aitch
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Liz Davison
I am a self-taught fiber artist based in Carbondale IL. My wall hangings are
made using a raw edge applique method. I cut, fuse, and sew pieces of fabric together in layers. I sew with a variety of machine stitches, free motion sewing, and hand sewing. I love the combination of fabric and thread that brings texture and life to my art.
I use various blends of found fabric, some of which I hand dye to get bright beautiful colors. I enjoy making art from fabric that may have been destined for a landfill.
Julie Byrne
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Leah Merriman
Leah Merriman a St. Louis native and is passionate about her hometown. Six years ago she began exploring techniques that would allow her to “paint deeper” into the canvas and her love for the encaustic medium took shape. She now works primarily in encaustics to create ethereal, layered abstract landscapes on cradled wood. She also creates detailed illustrations of urban scenery and architecture in ink and acrylics as well as charcoal portraiture that she blends with encaustics to create her own, unique style.
This series of paintings is the first of a planned body of work exploring local scenes and landmarks familiar to many who grow up and live in St. Louis. Starting in South St. Louis and moving North and West, Leah plans to continue this series of work to encompass the entire St. Louis region.
Working in this tactile medium, even the irritating and mundane of each day can be made to feel winsome. The persistent mugginess of a summer evening in St. Louis can portray magic if looked at in the correct light. Through these works even humidity is put on display as more than a sticky feeling; but as an unappreciated filter that grabs and throws light and color through the atmosphere.
These are places we know, but more importantly, they are places that know us. Each scene the viewer looks into pushes back, posing internal questions of their own personal, local histories. Each vantage point depends on who is present on any particular day. Every day is another layer, another person – perhaps another version of the same person – experiencing a place which is familiar, yet every day newly beautiful. The layers fuse together to become a collective and constant living memory.
