Butterflies are one of my favorite subjects to paint and draw. I am drawn to iridescence, color, pattern, and symmetry, which can all be found in the wings of butterflies. There are thousands of species of butterflies, and therefore thousands of colors and patterns from which to choose! I especially enjoy cropping a section of the wing and depicting it in an abstract manner. Artworks like these can be seen in the "Wing Patterns" gallery, along with other pattern-related pieces such as "Butterfly Kaleidoscope," which incorporates radial design.

There is also a "Traditional" gallery. In these artworks, most or all of the butterfly is shown in a setting, usually in flight or resting on a flower. The pieces are done using a variety of mediums, from oil pastel to colored pencil.

I own a lot of books about butterflies. I initially bought them as resources for images, but eventually got around to reading them as well. Butterflies really are fascinating creatures! They are often used symbolically to represent positive change. This is because of their life cycles which include the metamorphosis phase where they change from an "ugly" ground-dwelling caterpillar into a beautiful being that can fly.