This project began when I came across the Tarantula Hawk (Genus Pepsis) in the Ulster Museum and was fascinated by her golden wings. It had an alien beauty to it, beautifully displayed with a blueish hue on the abdomens and golden wings that looked like they could have been made of glass.
“What a great topic for a painting”, I thought. This was truly a terrible idea but thankfully I didn’t know that at the time. It remains an idea for several years, though I made attempted studies in oil on paper, it simply sat on the backburner as a basic concept.
I began the series with primed and sanded panels in the studio, I personally like the smooth plastered tooth it gives after several layers. I then painted a warm wash over all four panels at once, consistency is key here. The final background layer consisted of translucent layers of grey, just enough to let the warmth of the underpainting come through.