When I get going on a painting, I often go in depth on the subject, and experience it, and sketch it, and make a bunch of progressive paintings, until finally, the big loose paintings are accomplished. Sigh.

I learn so much when I tackle a subject this way. In this particular series, I started by sketching and watercoloring butterflies while I was at a ski area, waiting for my son.

Butterfly sketches at a ski area in Colorado. Where there are no butterflies in February

I came home, and made a very feminine, illustrative painting with these, by gluing them on the canvas and incorporating them with different materials.

A little while later, a winter wind whipped it’s way into our valley, bringing a winter storm. Of course this was the morning I had the urge to spray paint. I hid behind the shed and started some spray paint backgrounds on canvases, with stencils, which you can see in the video here.

I was so inspired by the high-contrast super whimsical backgrounds, that I hung them from my studio wall and started working on the butterfly wings with Fluid Acrylic Paints. These produced glorious drips.

When these were dry, I worked diligently, experimenting with filling in colors around the butterflies. I used paints mixed with different acrylic Mediums to achieve different levels of transparencies, so you can still experience the spray paint background textures in key places.

These butterfly paintings were a journey in pushing my comfort zone, and trying new things (like grey paint!). These paintings will hang in my March show in Telluride, Colorado at La Cocina de Luz on the main street. Stop by if you are in the area in March.

If you are interested in one of these paintings, please contact me here.

Enjoy the video!