PLI 2025 Impression

Oil on canvas.

50x30"

This is the largest painting I have created so far in my Butterfly Collection. The painting began with a large antique frame I found at an estate sale. I loved the frame and decided to create a painting specifically for it.
In this work, I wanted to push my use of color further, using vibrant and unexpected combinations to create the changing impression of a waterlily pond—flowers, reflections, water, and light all moving together. Against this expressive background, I painted the butterfly with much greater precision, because even a small mistake can break the illusion that it is alive.
Like many works in my Butterfly Collection, Impression plays with the boundary between painting and reality. The surrounding world is clearly imagined and painted, while the butterfly appears almost as if it has just landed on the canvas.
What started with a frame became an experiment in color, scale, balance, and illusion—and ultimately the largest Butterfly painting I have created to date.