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VARNETTE P. HONEYWOOD (1950-2010)
Born in Los Angeles, California on December 27, 1950,Varnette P. Honeywood’s close-knit
family greatly influenced her life and work. Her parents, Lovie and Stepney Honeywood,
were elementary school teachers who had moved to Los Angeles from Mississippi and
Louisiana, respectively. Varnette and her older sister Stephanie tested out the art projects that
their parents devised for their classrooms. At the age of 12, Varnette began studying at the
Chouinard Art Institute.Honeywood earned her Bachelor of Arts degree inArt from Spelman
College in 1972, her Master of Science degree in Education, and teaching credentials from
the University of Southern California in 1974. As a graduate student, she taught art at the
Los Angeles Central Juvenile Hall. Creating positive visual images for black children became
one of her major goals. She also earned an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Spelman
College in 2005.
Well known nationally and internationally as both an artist and illustrator, Varnette P.
Honeywood is highly regarded for her use of color, patterns and textures in a variety of work
including paintings, collages, prints and works on paper. Honeywood is famous for her upbeat
depictions of black family life; her work concerns the history of African Americans, their
sufferings and triumphs, and celebrates the strength and leadership of black women.
Honeywood began turning her acrylic paintings into prints and note cards. In 1975,
Honeywood and her sister founded a successful business, Black Lifestyles Fine Art, to publish
and distribute Honeywood’s note cards, posters and prints. In the 1980s, Honeywood met
actor and author Bill Cosby and his wife Camille, who had discovered Honeywood’s work
from her note cards. A reproduction of her 1974 painting
Birthday
was seen on the living-