Original artwork description:

I have always loved the Yin and Yang symbol - There's light and dark, day and night, good and evil - which originates in ancient Chinese philosophy where opposite forces are seen as interconnected and counterbalancing.

For this artwork I've once again printed three sizes of one of my butterfly drawings onto watercolour paper and then painted them with swirling lines in turquoise and orange (Blue and orange are complementary colours). I've then added the wing texture in grey, orange and black.
All of the right hand wings are painted in metallic silver and metallic copper watercolour, so that they add extra reflective texture when mounted at different angles.

I hand cut the butterflies and arranged them in the Yin and Yang symbol using a card matt to get the correct shapes.

The result is a vibrant and highly textured turquoise and orange modern relief design, revealing individual butterflies on closer inspection. Different shadows are cast, and light reflected from the metallic paint on the up-turned wings depending on the direction of the light.

The piece is framed in a white glazed (Perspex) deep box frame.

Materials used:

Watercolour and metalic watercolour on watercolour paper in a white glazed (perspex) deep box frame

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