Original artwork description:

For this artwork I've done things the other way round to how I normally create - firstly I punch-cut lots of butterflies from heavy watercolour paper and arranged/attached them in undulated lines diagonally across a square sheet of the same paper.
So that was my blank canvas to start my painting rather than painting first and cutting my butterflies from the painting.

I then painted the rainbow colours onto the "butterfly square" with watercolours and also splattered the colours so that the paint reached the background paper.
I've added gold leaf down through the centre yellow section so that it catches the light and is also symbolic of "Light at the end of the tunnel" and "Gold at the end of the rainbow".

The result is a very colourful modern textured relief design revealing individual butterflies on closer inspection, with different shadows cast, and reflecting gold leaf from the up-turned wings depending on the direction of the light.

Materials used:

Watercolour and gold leaf on heavy watercolour paper framed within a white deep glazed (perspex) box frame

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