Dreams of Flight

Along the shore of Lake Superior one can find the battered wings of monarch butterflies. The seemingly fragile insect migrates to Michigan from Mexico every spring, but those that make it as far as the southern shore of Superior may truly find the powerful lake storms too much for them. But migration is the natural way of life for these creatures, and one can witness the gathering of huge flocks of these butterflies on sandy beaches all over Michigan and Canada, as they await the perfect time to rise up as one and fly away for the winter. The trees, and then the skies become alive with color and movement during their passage.

I collected a few butterfly wings, and a few delicately patterned blue and white Blue Jay feathers. I added a molded impression in gel medium of a paper wasp's nest, and one of my coffee paintings of an Indian woman, done after an Edward Curtis photograph. The Woman dreams of flight, which is the natural way of life for all the creatures which surround her.

Acrylic on paper with coffee, deerhide, glass beads, garnets, pipestone, pearls, paua shells, amber, feathers and butterfly wings. 28 x 38 cm.