Wings

Concept: The curiosity for this series started when reflecting on the translucency of certain insect wings. At the start of this project I was regularly finding small, dead bees around my apartment here in urban Bangkok. I collected a couple and took time with a microscope to inspect them closer. I liked that resemble stained glass when cropped in a photo or viewed under a microscope. From there I began running into bizarre moths and butterflies more regularly right here in the city. I found a gorgeous, almost neon, Rose Myrtle Lappet Moth and used that photo as the reference for my first foray into color pencil compositions based on wings. As I develop my method I am experimenting with working large, small, and in multi-panel pieces.

What began as an interest in the lens-like quality of certain wings has grown to a broader appreciation for all insect wings and a fascination with how and why insects are.

Medium: Color pencil on illustration board. 

Scope: I want to create at least ten formal pieces for this series.

Emerging Findings and Questions: Brightly colored winged insects are not unlike brightly colored flowers: unnecessarily beautiful, small, and necessary for the proliferation of life. And to think flowers and insects work must also work in tandem.