Nine Lovely Butterflies

(clockwise from top left)

1. Gulf Fritillary, Hanging On, 8" X 8," $100

2. Pink Cattleheart, Over the Andes, 5" X 7, " $75

3. Hecale Longwing, 11" X 14," $230

4. Orange Julias, Passion for Flowers, 11" X 14," $230

5. Dark Blue Tiger, 11" X 14," $230

6. Great Yellow Mormons, Sunset Ladies, 11" X 14," $230

Day #3 of 3: Gulf Fritillary

Hanging On

8" X 8"

$100

Click here to purchase

The Gulf Fritillary is a common butterfly in the Keys. In fact, it is found in all counties in Florida. It's long wings can carry it over the Gulf of Mexico to spend winters in the Caribbean and South America. It lays its eggs on passionflower plants, but enjoys nectar from many other species. The adult butterfly has glands on its abdomen that release a smelly chemical that keeps predators at bay.

 

I did not take the photo above. Although I see Gulf Fritillary butterflies often, I rarely have more than my iphone and haven't yet gotten a great photo to work from. I found this lovely image on Wikipedia; it is credited to Bob Peterson and was taken in North Palm Beach. You can see many other of his nature photos on Flickr and Tumblr (Wildflower Power).

The second photo is the photo of the flowers I used in the painting. I don't know the name of this wild vine, but I liked the delicate blossoms. I took it walking neighborhood trails when we lived in Northern Virginia.

Below is the work in progress slideshow:

Day #2 of 3: Gulf Fritillary

The background of vines and leaves are pretty close to finished in this photo. Next, I'll remove the masking fluid and finish the butterfly and blooms.

Day #1 of 3: Gulf Fritillary

The thirty paintings in thirty days challenge is drawing to a close and I've started my sixth butterfly painting. I may continue the series in the coming months. I still have a lot of images I would like to paint.

This butterfly is the Gulf Fritillary that lives here in the Keys. I placed it on flowers that I photographed in the woods of Virginia. I thought the blooms looked a lot like the beach poppies around here, if they were climbing a sea grape or something. 

The flowers in my reference photo are the palest of pink, so I masked them completely. I am not sure what color I will end up painting them yet. Come back tomorrow (or the next day) and see what happened.