These bugs are painted with an extraordinary detail that is often only associated with photographs. In the Bugs series, New York-based fine artist Suzanne Berry intricately paints everything from ladybugs to caterpillars to wasps. Mostly self-taught, she uses intense highlights and deep shadows to capture the essence of life in each still painting.
Generally, Berry paints the bugs on a larges canvases–anywhere from 20×20 to 24×36 inches–allowing for viewers to closely investigate the stunning detail of each creepy crawly creature. Her surfaces, which range from textured linen to smooth, velvety hardboard, allow the details to really pop off of the canvas.
Berry strives to maintain a playfulness in the paintings, not portraying dark and scary bugs, but rather, producing cute and approachable little creatures. She often includes descriptive stories along with her creations that give each insect quite the personality. For example, one of her ladybugs, named Bernice, is paired with the following description: “Independently wealthy and never married, Bernice enjoys traveling, art, the ballet and long walks on the bricks in the front yard of her palatial estate in the Hamptons. A bit eccentric and a tad flighty, she is nevertheless, always in demand and a delightful guest at any garden party.”
