The Butterfly and The
Rose, 2004,
Acrylic, Japanese paper and encaustic on canvas,
36 x 60 inches
Wordsworth's Vision
48 X 48 Inches
Encaustic on Canvas
Leonardo's
Metamorphosis
36 X 60 Inches Diptych
Mixed Media on Canvas
More Works
Biography
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BUTTERFLY WORKS
The butterfly is one of Mother Nature’s most beautifully designed
creatures and has attracted people’s attention for thousands of years.
We catch glimpses of the illusive butterfly, with their intricately
patterned wings, flying across our gardens and lawns every summer. Their
life cycle or metamorphosis has touched the imaginations from small
children to the great sages. Butterflies have become an integral part of
the world’s literature, legends and traditions. They are not only
exquisite decorations of our natural world, but windows into the
spiritual world in many cultures. These paragons of aerial freedom are
an integral part of our intrinsic environment.
The images of butterflies that I have incorporated into my paintings
give reference to their natural beauty, illusive character and to them
being symbols of freedom.
Flights of Fancy – This piece is about the symbiotic relationship of
butterflies and flowers. I celebrate their textures through the use of
varied media such as encaustic, paint, charcoal and hand-tooled metal.
Symmetry offers a sense of balance whereas asymmetry provides visual
interest. Natural History and Leonardo’s Metamorphosis compliment the
above qualities of both human and natural world. The juxtaposition of
figure and butterfly wings creates a feeling of the ephemeral reality of
life. However, there is still opportunity for the viewer’s personal
interpretations.
Nabokov’s Vision was inspired by a recent newspaper article about how
Dimitri Nabokov (the only son of author Vladimir Nabokov who wrote the
book ‘Lolita’) was distressed at having to put his father’s precious
collection of writings and butterfly specimens up for auction. Vladimir
Nabokov’s journals were decorated with many detailed, accurate and
imagined butterfly drawings. Exquisite ink and coloured pencil butterfly
drawings that were given to Nabokov’s wife, (Dimitri’s mother) were also
put on the block. The article entitled Butterflies Scattered to the Wind
and my painting, Nabokov’s Vision, act as a poignant reminder that life
is fleeting but art is everlasting!
Down through the ages, the butterfly has been used in literature,
especially in poetry. William Wordsworth (1771-1850) wrote a charming
poem named To A Butterfly. The Painting, Wordsworth’s Vision, captures
his joyous childhood memories of watching, with fascination, the
captivating butterflies in his family’s beautiful garden. |
