Meet the Artist: Honey Hilliard

Honey will have available for purchase her color-along book, Looking for Butterflies, as well as notecards, her one-of-a-kind artwork, and more. The season for gift giving is just beginning and what’s a better way to start than with a thoughtful, unique gift from a local artist.

After obtaining a bachelor of science in conceptual art from FSU, Honey painted the birds for Florida’s bird identification poster and other wildlife for the state of Florida, becoming known as Florida’s bird artist. She authored and illustrated Looking for Butterflies, an interactive environmentally focused book that takes place at St. Marks Refuge, with two little girls on a nature walk, hoping to see some butterflies. Along the way, they come across lots of plants and critters. The book introduces the audience to animal symbolism and the idea that animals can bring messages if we pay attention when they show up in our lives.

Honey developed an expressive impressionistic style, thick with texture, rich with color, often with gold leaf, cabochons, beach sand and feathers contained within layers of her paintings after studying in France. She is known for painting iconic women such as Marilyn Monroe, Betty Page, Audrey Hepburn, Isabella Rosalini, pop figures such as Prince, and pet and people portraiture. Pop cultural references and recurring themes can be found in her work such as skulls, crowns, cranes, owls and other birds, jewels, poisonous and carnivorous flowers, and a flowing red thread from an ancient Red Thread Chinese proverb which “may stretch or tangle, yet never breaks.” We hope you’ll stop by and meet Honey.