Edward Burke
"Dead Bee," Tradigital NFT Artwork, speaks to Colony Collapse Disorder and the dying off of the bee population worldwide. These creations and other traditional art and exhibits stem from my investigation of how rising CO2 levels contribute to the die-off of bees. Researchers found that rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere from manufacturing have caused a dramatic reduction of protein in pollen. The lack of protein in this vital food source for honey bees has reduced their reproduction ability significantly. This reduction in bees will considerably impact food resources; bees help provide approximately 60% of man's agricultural foods.
ARTIST: theOtherEd
TITLE: Dead Bee
DATE: 2022
MEDIUM: *Tradigital
TOOLS USED: Acrylic Paint, Graphite, Canvas, Computer
RESOLUTION: 300dpi
PRINT: Mono Print 36" x 45"
Tradigital Artwork
Tra·dig·i·tal — a hybrid process combining mind-to-hand traditional media with digital transformation.
These works explore the intersection of material painting and digital space, where gesture, drawing, and physical surface are extended through technological processes. The tradigital approach allows images to exist simultaneously as object and transmission — rooted in studio practice while shaped by contemporary systems of reproduction and circulation.
Across this series, recurring themes of environmental instability, dream imagery, and psychological landscape emerge through symbolic figures and altered atmospheres. The works occupy a space between painting and simulation, where physical mark-making encounters digital mediation.
Cause & Effect
2022 | Tradigital Monoprint
Acrylic, Graphite, Canvas, Digital Process | 36" × 45"
Cause & Effect considers human consciousness as both creator and contaminant within the biosphere. A figure releases atmospheric toxins while a geometric form replaces the head, suggesting rational awareness separated from consequence. Suspended cubes — manufactured objects containing fragile life forms — hover as symbols of production and ecological strain.
The work balances gravity with subtle absurdity, echoing the surreal tradition in which humor and unease coexist.
Dream – No Way Home
2022 | Tradigital Monoprint
Acrylic, Graphite, Canvas, Digital Process | 36" × 45"
Derived from a recurring dream, this work presents an unsettled urban landscape without orientation or exit. The imagery reflects psychological dislocation — a search for belonging within spaces that resist navigation. The painting translates private dream experience into a shared atmosphere of uncertainty.
Dream – Falling Sky
2022 | Tradigital Monoprint
Acrylic, Graphite, Canvas, Digital Process | 36" × 45"
Falling Sky emerged through process rather than predetermined narrative. Minimal forms and spatial tension convey a sense of loss without explicit description. Meaning remains intentionally open, allowing viewers to encounter the work through their own emotional frameworks.
Dream – Crow
2022 | Tradigital Monoprint
Acrylic, Graphite, Canvas, Digital Process | 36" × 45"
The crow appears as witness and omen — a recurring figure positioned between myth, memory, and observation. The image suggests awareness without resolution.
Storm Warning PM & PM
2022 | Tradigital Monoprint
Acrylic, Graphite, Canvas, Digital Process | 48" × 30"
Storm Warning AM & PM examines the escalating intensity of climate systems through atmospheric distortion and unstable light. Rather than illustrating catastrophe, the works evoke anticipation — the quiet moment before disruption, when environmental imbalance becomes perceptible but not yet fully realized.
