these ants invaded my home.

Ants

from to migraines, the 1 of 1 of 50 series of digital paintings

Do you find yourself seeing patterns? Are you losing the light between your eyes? You may find yourself in the same predicament as our resident artist Bhare, as he transforms his ocular migraines into a display of unfiltered creative prowess. After half a decade of pivoting through the art world, he returns to the scene with his upcoming collection to migraines, offering practical remedy to the pulsating fit. Today Ants find themselves at the center of our attention.

I legitimately hate them.

A group stronger than its individual parts, houses one of the most efficient systems among the many organisms on the earth. Their colonies stretch endlessly underground, weaving a vast network that supports the ecological health of our planet. A near perfect squadron in the grand scheme of things. Still furiously— I find myself grinding my teeth at the mere thought of them existing in a safe space of mine.

A couple every now and then, no problem, it’s inevitable. Anything more than that — just burn the house down, change the soil and never build on the land again.

Why the visceral reaction?

Because they have the utmost perfect timing. My seesaw of life ebbs and flows as teetering a fine line, as do any other person. Cascading from its eventual high, my seesaw falls toward the mulch. Swiftly, the ants lock the fuck in. I swear they sensed my descent, appearing in a flash to be the most unappetizing icing on the cake.

Clean better, I guess?

I’ve exhausted out my tool belt of options and leather bound wallet quite frankly.

Pest Control? On speed dial and very close to being my next emergency contact.

Cleaning supplies? There are only so many witches brew concoctions that I can make from Lysol, Fabuloso and Raid. (The actual reason why I might need Pest Control as my emergency contact.)

Plug up the cracks? They will find always find another entrance. Their determination to keep the cog wheels moving is unreal.

When do you actually get to the art?

Soon but focus — this exposition is necessary as is every villain origin story. Outside of all of my deep rooted antagonistic views of the little squirts, they are insanely complex creatures. To the point where their presence is felt in media like one of my favorites, Hunter X Hunter. They act on almost a hive mind sense, placing the Queen at the top of their hierarchy.

What led you to connect migraines with this ant based pattern?

They given some of the worse headaches.

Walk with me. You’ve had a smashing downhill of a day, dragging one foot over the other through the doorway. Your optimism has fully faded though — a nice boiling shower will do the trick. Excitedly, you hike your mountain of worn carpet stairs to the bathroom. Your speaker has a low charge but enough to get through a mini playlist, crafted for the optimal shower experience. In hand you have your everything you need to become the cleanest version of yourself, only to pull back the curtains to reveal the last straw in the hay barrel.

Fucking ants. Hundreds of them. Crawling over every soap scummed tile, wandering aimlessly.

Now imagine this — every day — for a couple of months.

They are a literal walking migraine for me.

 

Some other fun experiences are,

Them breaking through the trim to adventure around the Christmas Tree.

Engulfing a single cheese curl that a friend’s child threw under the couch.

My puppy swallowing a couple and her having to be rushed to the emergency vet.

See — icing on the cake.

Can you tell us about the pattern?

It’s a linear based pattern, utilizing multiple ants to create our leading lines. In mimicking the fashion of how ants traverse, more often than not, they travel in this production style of line. Ensuring every ant understands where they are needed and will be moving to for resources. Here I focus on the ants moving vertically off the page, altering their orientation. This aids in building a sense of these ants traveling to and from specific destinations. The colors alternate from red to black, noting the most common ants that we see in our daily lives. The black sugar ant and the red fire ant. Both not fun for various reasons, obviously.

The pattern gives itself breaks and moments to breathe through the removal of ants in the line. You’ll notice on closer investigation that there are intentional gaps in the production lines of the ants. Very easily, this pattern can be overwhelming, as I found the case with the pattern sample on the right.

So where is this painting now?

It’s safely housed in my vault. (as of June 19th, 2025)

Ants is a digital painting from my To migraines, series, meticulously crafts the visuals of ocular distortions to capture the essence of fleeting memories in ever repeating patterns. A turnabout creation after my past series cold leftovers, I use pastel illustrations to reflect upon the shift in survival and preservation to celebration of one’s own story and livelihood. These patterns are to be honoring my past while introducing a shifty uneasy feeling of infinitely repeating images.

It is available for collection below.

 
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About the Artist

Shareon “Bhare” Blenman is a multidisciplinary artist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Born in 1998 to Barbadian immigrant parents, Bhare initially pursued a career as a chef before transitioning into the art world. His diverse practice encompasses traditional canvas work, digital oil paintings, sculptures, and even ventures into skateboarding design.

Bhare earned his undergraduate degree from Johnson & Wales University, balancing various creative jobs during the early stages of the global lockdown. By the age of 23, his work had already been showcased in traditional and digital galleries across North America and Europe. He has exhibited in more than three professional galleries and sold over 30 pieces in his debut year.

Now at 26, Bhare has been featured extensively in a magazine, completed a 40-foot commission for the Spectrum Center, and even had his work sold through Sotheby’s.

Bhare currently lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina. He merges his work through both traditional and digital styles, exhibiting with prestigious galleries in New York, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, Copenhagen and most recently Toronto.

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