The Fool

The drag queen Honeybee Sapphire and I sought to collaborate during our respective quarantines as a means of fostering creativity and friendship. This portrait is my end of the collaboration. It is painted from a selfie taken by Honeybee in which she personifies The Fool tarot card. The Fool represents fun and adventure: open-mindedness and exploration. Honeybee styled herself as a sexy jester. I emphasized this playful identity through the fabrics, paying close attention to the lace, painting it in detail, in contrast to the loose unfinished character of the background and edges of the composition. 

The person in drag is my friend Tyler Dawson-Arroyo, a 2018 Centre College graduate. Tyler lives in his hometown of Bainbridge, Washington, near Seattle. We had plans to meet up in New Orleans for spring break, but lockdowns and quarantines put those plans in the bin. Quarantine has presented challenges to both communication and creativity for many of us. I am thankful to Tyler for a fun collaboration with a dear friend during quarantine.