The Beautiful Ones was my step back into the world of the Savage Garden — a place of magic and flowers, of nature, light, and darkness. This 16×20 acrylic painting brings together flowing blues, dark branches, and vivid red blooms, and continues my exploration of mixing in acrylic mediums as part of the process and evolution of the work.
I drew inspiration from both Tim Burton and Van Gogh, blending that dark, whimsical edge with a sense of swirling emotion. It’s a return to an earlier style of mine, but also a push forward — adding more detail, a sense of handwritten aesthetic, and care in the process. For me, it balances the familiar with growth.
In the end, The Beautiful Ones also raises a question about beauty itself. The beautiful people we know in our lives — those who stand out, who seem luminous — can embody both light and shadow. Beauty can be a gift, but it can also carry weight, judgment, or darkness. This duality, the two sides of beauty, is at the heart of the painting.