Creating HoneyBee
“HoneyBee” 2020 Oil on Wood
This piece meant a lot to me due to the fact that it was my first time being completely vulnerable with my work, and creating a work that I felt could speak. My biggest qualm was figuring out how to make it speak, and what it should say. I of course feel that even despite what an artists’s original intent was, a piece of work will always show itself differently to many people. That was something I really had to take into account when considering this piece. I’ll talk later about what this piece meant to me, but I really feel as though that is not the most important aspect to discuss because it could taint a viewer’s perception. To start I’d like to talk about my process, and how I came up with the piece.
Beginning Stages
A reference image demonstrating the stark lighting.
In order to start this piece, I wanted to use my own model and lighting set up. I figured I’d be able to construct the poses and lighting I wanted best this way. The hardest thing about creating a work is finding just the right reference images, so I was very excited to have the chance to create my own. The lighting that I was really going for was a sunset type of lighting. A strong orange and very directional lighting that would create a serene yet almost intentional feel to the piece. I should be honest in saying that I had no idea what type of lighting I was going for when I first shot my subject, but it started to fall together in front of me once I began to notice what felt right and what did not. Feel free to read more about that process here.
Creating the Design
Coming up with the design was definitely more of an “aha” moment. I do a lot of my thinking on my works beforehand. I ask myself questions such as “what is my vision?” “how can I reciprocate that into a piece?” “who do I want my art to reach and why?” A lot of the time, these questions about my human experience center around me being a brown woman. I had just shot reference image of a close friend who relates on the same level with me about being a working brown woman. How could I express these sentiments we both share in a cohesive piece? Then I came to the conclusion that the bee was the most important figure to represent alongside this portrait of a brown woman. I knew that I wanted both subjects to exist comfortable in the space; I did not want a power imbalance. I figured it’d be harmonious if the bee sat in her lap. After that, I began sketching. Below I’ve included a closeup sketch, a design sketch and a final sketch on wood panel.
The Painting Part
This part was daunting because I had never painted a color portrait with oil paint before, and let’s just say my previous attempts at portraits with acrylic were… attempts. I have had some training, but painting is really just about trying over and over and learning the paint, your brushes and how you would go about creating a certain texture or color. I stuck with the style that I was most comfortable with: big brush strokes and bright colors. There was also a ton of layering used. For example, the wings on the bee were first blocked in with the browns and reds. After they were dry I added the wing designs and let that dry. Then a layer of a soft yellow mixed with Winsor & Newton Liquin Light Gel was added on top of all of that to ultimately give the wings the translucent appearance. I also used layering on a much larger scale including the background and subjects. I started first with what was furthest away in the painting (the background) and just moved up, almost as if I was using the layer effect in photoshop. The reason behind this was to create a sense of depth from the background and the subjects. Having brush strokes from the background interfering with the subjects of the piece would have ultimately ruined that depth, so it had to be painted first. And last was the detail, after all of my colors were blocked in, and blended I focused on the highlights or small shadows of the hair on her collarbone. It was a really fun piece to have been the first. Below are some progress pictures.
Wrapping Up
Creating this piece was very significant for me. Communicating the vulnerability, strength, and necessity of women is a message I hope to share in many pieces moving forward. Brown women are especially necessary, with many odds, and our history being stacked against us, it is important that we preserve ourselves and our experiences. We are a needed addition to humanity and it was rewarding being able to honor that in this piece.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”
