On Making Art: researching subject matter for new work

Conducting research for a collection of art is a unique kind of investigation. For me it involves diving into reference sources I’ve gathered over the years, including photos I’ve taken, books, and plant and insect specimens. It also involves finding new resources. In this case the new resource is rather old— a beautiful book that found its way to me after it was deaccessioned from a library collection. I love the artistry of this book, the gold text on the weathered green cover and the beautiful plates inside.

Most of the butterflies I create are a composite of shapes that inspire me and I use my reference sources for design inspiration rather than scientific accuracy.

Here are a few examples of my recent research as interpreted in current work. This image is a work in process for a July/August show at SŌMI Gallery.

The image below is a finished piece titled Conservancy: Ring that is available through Higher Art Gallery. The butterflies are first drawn by hand and then I repeat the design in various patterns. Concurrent to my butterfly research, I’ve also been looking at a lot of jewelry designs from art history and this piece was influenced by ornate necklaces and crowns.