Purple Emperor Butterfly Sculpture Sculpture

Butterflies represent metamorphosis. From a larval infancy, to ascension: elevation to the embodiment of the vivid beauty of nature, fragile, transient and exquisite. Butterflies seem almost an impossibility in the native Welsh wildlife, being as delicate and brightly coloured as they are. To survive in what can be a harsh and bleak environment as coastal Britain, they seem to me otherworldly, divine even. They also go through great transformation in their existence, from endless consumption, through seclusion and fasting into ascension and iridescence. I like the metaphors which they can be used for and they have become like a totem for my work. The main focal point of this sculpture is the wings. They are made from rusted wheelbarrow buckets, beaten flat and then painted with oil paints. This really embodies a process that is core in my work - taking rotten useless matter and by reframing it, elevating it to a state of beauty. This Purple Emperor Butterfly sculpture is free standing. It is made from wheelbarrow bucket, threaded bar, nails,screws, rebar, bicycle chain link, a hair-grip and oil paints.