Two Butterflies – colored pencil on paper – 2026

My first completed piece of this year is a small colored pencil drawing of two butterflies (they are based on the Pavon Emperor butterfly, in case you are curious about whether purple butterflies exist—they do, and they are very beautiful). It was a commission, and one I was pleased to do because I like butterflies. To me, they are potent symbols of the artist: they look merely decorative in their beauty, easily dismissed as a kind of luxury. But they are actually essential pollinators and important members of their ecosystem. So are artists to the world.

1. 

   So peaceful!