So as you might imagine, I'm already finished my Pen Pal Painting Challenge which isn't due until August. I pondered what I could paint on such a small canvas. I don't have paint brushes small enough to paint a landscape on it so I went with my idea of insects figuring they were small enough to fit onto this tiny space. I decided I wouldn't paint the whole thing but I would do a collage with various media. The canvas was roughly painted brown. I had just finished a small cross-stitch of a butterfly and I wanted to use that image. As I thought of the butterfly and it's life cycle the word transform came to me. There are many Bible verses that talk about transforming ourselves. And we know that through our whole lives God is transforming us through the Holy Spirit. It made me think about the anger, hatred and violence that we read about in the news each day and how only God can change hearts and how much we need that today.
My piece became about metamorphosis; how the caterpillar changes to become a beautiful butterfly.
I collaged a drawing of a caterpillar I had done and the cross-stitch on to the painted canvas. Then, using a which gel pen, I wrote metamorphosis on the front and "change for better" and "transform" on the sides of the canvas. I draped a blue organza fabric across it to signify the silk cocoon inside which all this transformation takes place and pulled a piece of stitched suede across that. To finish, I glued a cardboard flower on the front. I'm hoping that the artist who receives my canvas will embrace it's message.
Today the weather is fantastic and I just couldn't bear to spend it in my basement studio so I carted all my supplies and my easel upstairs and out the back door on to my deck. How inspiring it was to paint outside. My grandson spent a couple of hours with me and we painted together out there. It was a wonderful time for us both.
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