Butterflies Of The World
4' x6', Acrylic on Canvas
$1,300.00 (In the collection of Dr. David Burton)
Each year when I travel to Costa Rica and also here in Virginia Beach, I see hundreds of different species of butterflies. After seeing several butterfly farms in Costa Rica and in America I created the smooth rhythmic movements and highly contrasting patterns of bright colors that inspired me in this painting.
In this piece I have combined images of butterflies I have seen in real life and some I have only seen in books. Since we only see quick glimpses of them in nature before they fly away I have fragmented the canvas into small facets of butterfly memories. Each piece, like the butterflies themselves, gives the viewer a quick glimpse of the subject and then your eye is forced onward to another. Shadows have been juxtapositioned under each fragment to add depth and contrast to the individual pieces and to give unity to the piece. Some of the fragments give the viewer all of the visual information they need to determine the species and others tease the viewer into wondering what the species is.