I created this piece using Italian and Mexican smalti. The Italian smalti are the black and gold pieces, the Mexican smalti are the white pieces in the background. I was experimenting at the time with creating depth and texture simply by the way the tile was cut and how/where it was laid. I am so proud of how the hair turned out, the curls of the Queen's hair are created solely by the cut of the tile and their placement. Using the same tile, I created the outline of her face, the eye, the profile of the nose and the mouth. Traditionally, color is relied upon to create these distinctions. Suffice to say, this was a very difficult piece to create.
At the time I created this piece, Bermuda was undergoing some political and social changes that I wanted to address in my artwork. The message I was trying to portray here is that our Premier at the time was not going to be happy until everyone, including the Queen, was Black. His tagline on everything was 'The New Bermuda'. Sadly, this Premier did not address the needs/concerns of the balance of the population of Bermuda. A leader should be concerned with his/her entire constituancy.
This piece was also recently re-photographed. I am delighted with the photographer's ability to capture the details of this piece, the parts that to me, make it so enjoyable.
