Monarch with Mexican Sunflower

Butterfly friendly and easy on the eyes

The Mexican Sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia, is a great favorite of the Monarch, late blooming with lots of nectar to keep them going on their great migration. They’re also a great flower to paint, with expressive strong petals, and great bushy anthers that look a little dangerous.

It’s all about the balance

When I work on a piece like this, I start with many many gesture drawings to get the feel for my subject. I keep going until it’s muscle memory, and then when I hit the actual paper, I know what to do without thinking. The goal is that the visual of the weight of the flower is balanced by the energy and color of the butterfly. There are two other flowers to even things out a bit.

This is the rightmost painting of Monarch-Series 1

This is part of a mini series of three butterfly paintings that can stand alone or hang together, depending on what you’re looking for. They were inspired by my daughter, who was looking for a butterfly for her room. After finishing the series, I’ve come to the conclusion that everyone should have a few butterflies in their room; they’ll make you happy everytime you look at them. 

The prints are unbelievable

I print these using a top-of-the-line Epson printer with Pigment based ink on Hahnemuhle German Etching 13" x 19" paper. The colors and vibes are virtually identical to the original. They really sing. Each print is signed and numbered on the back. 13" x 19" is a fairly standard size for a frame with no mat which you can pick up at Amazon.

I recommend buying the whole series. 

If you hang them next to each other, they just change the whole feeling of a room.