Creating pictures that say something.

I had to re-post this picture because I interrupted myself with the discussion on the lack of diversity in children's books.



So before I digress any further, I want to point out the traits of this drawing style that have influenced/predominated my overall artistic sense. What I want to point out here is how patternistic, connected, graphic, iconographic, and FLAT, this inherent style of mine is. The repetitiveness in the stripes on the bees, the dots of the eyes, and the wingspans, are all working to create balance and harmony, while maintaining visual interest. Bright bursts of color are also visually balanced throughout to dispel any discordance the color fields themselves may introduce. These are traits that in general many of us appreciate in art. But these traits have literally been dominant in my art.
I used to think that I drew the art for Centipede Dragon in this manner because it was simply the easiest and quickest way for me to create 30+ images for the book. But the truth occurred to me as I was clearing out my old artwork from my parents’ house last year. Every time I picked up a piece, I noticed that this style was evident long ago, beginning with my beloved bumblebee collage circa 1976-78.
Do you believe me? I hope so, because it’s my only explanation!