Butterflies

Butterflies

Butterflies have been a recurrent subject in my artwork for more than ten years, I have carried out so many sketches, drawings and paintings using different techniques and media. The main idea of butterflies relies on sensitiveness, on the constant search for simplicity, equilibrium and elegance; nevertheless some memories of my childhood are of interest (I was always interested in the secret life of insects), the feelings related to facts or to people and aesthetical sources of inspiration: Zurbaran, Giovanna Garzoni, Japanese paintings (sumi-e) or the scientists’ illustrations in 18th and 19th centuries.

Along with their own beauty, some other issues of butterflies are a source of inspiration, their own ephemeral presence, their particular cycle of life and these being able to fly.

When I carried out my very first paintings I depicted their both shapes and colours by heart, my methodology did not bear scientific rigour. I was so curious I bought simple field guides and later books written by specialized researchers such as Bernard D’Abrera. When reading I realized that some butterflies were so spectacular, so original that we can question the meaning of this great evolving creativity. Nature is able to overcome the most delusional imagination and shows a wide range of possibilities (opaque, translucent and iridescent colours…), (the design of the blotches eye-spots, half-moon, scalloped), (the shape of their wings simulating a tree leaf, added some apendix or tail). That’s why it is not really so simple to choose a species in particular so there are thousands of them and all seem so attractive even the most common or discreet ones. I always prefer to depict life-size butterflies; both the general composition of the painting and its format would depend on all these tiny details.

Most of the time we are referring to endangered species so I never used real specimen, when needed I prepare a simple full-sized scale model using putty, thin wire and paper sheet.

All the images are copyright (c) 2018 by Guillermo Coll. All right reserved. Copy and distribution are forbidden