Senior Project

Nature itself is the most important influence to my artwork.With this series in particular, most of the inspiration came from a single naturally occurring flower called the Butterfly Clerodendrum also referred to as the "Blue Butterfly Bush" due to its striking resemblance to butterflies.

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The first time I saw this flower I almost thought it had to be some sort of man made creation just by its appearance. The stamen of the flower, which is the stalks that come out from the center create the antennae, four petals shape the wings, and the fifth petal shapes the tail of the back wings. Without a doubt, this naturally occurring flower bears a strong and shocking resemblance to butterflies that would normally be seen drinking the nectar from the flower itself.

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Often in nature, insects are seen mimicking plants in order to blend in with their surroundings such as walking sticks that look like twigs, katydids resemble leaves, and moths that blend in with the bark of trees, but very seldom do you see this played in reverse. With this in mind I wanted to create "Butterfly Flowers" not in the sense of looking like a butterfly, but instead flowers with butterfly scales covering each petals.