Buckeye Butterfly Wing 23 x 23 Inches Embroidery on Black Linen
This is the second in my large scale macro nature embroidery series, amplifying the tiniest of details in butterfly and bird wings. This embroidery is based on a buckeye butterfly. I was originally inspired by wanting to look more closely at the smallest of creatures, amplifying them to recreate a sense of fascination, as many of us feel with our first interactions with nature. This butterfly's actual wing span is between 2-2.5 inches, so it is so much smaller in real life. I started to make these larger scale embroideries feeling the urgency of capturing nature and showing the beauty in the smallest creatures. Butterflies are effected, often negatively, by human activity, making them particularly vulnerable to our movements and inattention. This embroidery reflects the eyes that have evolved in this butterflies markings as a protective response to predators. I feel the eyes in this piece capture a warning and a need for us to look closer. I also wanted to spread the joy, fascination and immersion in nature patterns as if we are looking at them under a magnifying glass or microscope. These embroideries aim to give nature more tactile, connective presence.