butterfly artistry

The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity.~ George Carlin

I attended a celebration of life for our friend Janice on July 6th here on the island. Her daughter had arranged for a butterfly release after the ceremony. Apparently you can order these delicate creatures to be shipped in individually wrapped boxes packed in coolant so that they are—hopefully—alive when you receive them and let them out. They are popular at weddings and funerals. I’m not sure how I feel about it. The butterfly’s life is short enough without keeping it prisoner for even a few days… But during the butterfly release my friend’s daughter quoted Salvador Dali and how he equated butterflies with the soul. I knew Dali to be one of Scott’s favorite painters so I found the passage very moving.

Landscape With Butterflies (Salvador Dali) 

Butterfly Ship (Salvador Dali)

For me, the butterfly will forever be a symbol associated with my beloved. The mystical butterfly moments that continue even to this day are a fleeting moment of beauty and hope that I think Scott captured well in his own paintings of butterflies.

Untitled (c) Scott Morgan

2 Butterflies ©scott morgan

I have not begun to paint on canvas yet. However, I have been painting with flowers… I planted a garden on Scott’s and my 9th anniversary June 24th. The fishgirl was a gift Scott gave me one year and the granite benches and flagstones were put in place the first year we moved here.  Selecting perennial plants that mimic ocean coral has been fun. The butterflies love it.