My Palette #1 Print

In the world of art, most people only ever see the final product: the finished work perfected and shared by the artist for all to enjoy. The painter, however, sees the entire development and creation process and experiences the journey the art takes to reach its final state. Part of that journey is the mixing of paints on the artist’s palette- a tiny artwork in itself that tells a story of work greater than itself. It occurred to me recently when working on one of my pieces that these painter’s palettes provide an interesting base for small works of their own. I decided to explore this idea and create small abstract art pieces based on the leftover paint on my palettes. The series took on a far greater journey and life than I expected, and the results prove that the creation process is every bit as beautiful as a polished piece of artwork. This piece, in particular, struck a chord with me as an artist as it perfectly represents what I was trying to say with my abstract art palette series. It depicts a bee on top of a bed of vibrant flowers and petals. There is a lot of movement in this piece, making it feel like we are watching the bee fly over a field of flowers waiting for pollination. Color-wise, it is a blur of vibrant pinks with flecks of blue and green hues beneath- as this is what I was working with before. The color palette is not what matters here- it is all about how the image reflects the idea that the creation process is as important as the outcome. Take the bee, for example. Without its work flying from flower to flower collecting and dispersing pollen, we would not have the beautifully bright and bold petals we enjoy in nature.