Monarch Mini Series - Triptych

These paintings of monarchs should be hung together.

When I originally conceived of the monarch paintings, I had thought that the best way to showcase them would be in a row, as a triptych. The ideas is the butterflies are moving from right to left eventually landing on the mexican sunflower, where they get their nectar. Each painting is designed to stand on its own, but when you hang them together, you get the full story.

These were inspired by my daughter.

My sixteen-year-old daughter's room is meticulously planned, with art and images everywhere. She didn't have any of my work though (even the paintings of her), and I semi-jokingly asked her what she'd like me to paint, so I could merit a space on the wall. "Butterflies," she said, and I thought "Hmm. That'd be a nice challenge." 

My first insects

I'd never so much as drawn an insect before, so I spent a couple weeks doing insect and butterfly studies (some of which are available to buy here). I got the sense of what it felt like to draw a monarch, how each line felt, how the white dots that are on the body and the wings are so brilliant. And then I worked on the overall composition and picked the flowers. I think the overall effect is really fun, and very decorative. 

Sometimes it's nice to look at beautiful things.

I really wanted this to be light and airy and just fun. There's no anguish here, just pure color and energy. The monarchs themselves are blissfully ignorant of habitat loss, pesticide poison, etc. They're just going for a snack.

The prints are truly wonderful.

I take the utmost pains to make the prints faithful to and as rich and colorful as the originals. I use a top-of-the-line Epson printer with pigment ink to print on Hahnemuhle German Etching paper. There's a slight tooth to the paper that makes the colors even more vibrant. Each print is signed and numbered on the back. 

Each print is 13" x 19", so you need a little over 60" for the whole triptych. I think they look pretty good unframed, but since 13" x 19" is a standard size, frames are not that expensive.

They're also available individually.

You'll find all of my butterfly paintings and studies here.