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I want to share a piece that’s especially close to my heart.
Bumblebee Ballerinas is part of my ballet series, but it’s a little different from the rest. No border this time, more dual tones, and a softer, more neutral palette. I really challenged myself here to let the color scheme do the heavy lifting instead of relying on bold contrasts. It pushed me in the best way.
The faces were a whole journey on their own. Capturing expression is something I’ve been intentionally working to master since I began making art, and this piece asked a lot of me. Slow, careful, and very worth it.
The painting was inspired by several photographs I took while watching a ballet performance at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. I loved the entire scene. A dancer paused in the doorway. The piano sitting quietly. A small group of people watching, completely absorbed. I combined elements from different photos to build the composition, and I still love how the lines guide your eyes through the piece.
There’s a subtle modern twist too. No one is actually playing the piano. Someone in the audience is holding up a phone to take a photo. And yet, it still carries that old-time, timeless feeling that ballet has always had. Which makes sense. Ballet has been around for over 100 years, and it holds that history beautifully.
A little personal note. I painted my mother and one of my friends into the audience. They’re part of the story now, tucked into the moment.
And about the bumblebees. In real life, the dancers weren’t bees at all. But once I painted their skirts black and yellow, I couldn’t unsee it. The antennas just had to happen. Sometimes art tells you what it wants to be.
If Bumblebee Ballerinas speaks to you, it’s available now and ready to find a home where it can be lived with, noticed, and loved every day.