50 x 50 cm
Framed: Contemporary white box frame, white matte, with glass
Hand-stitched and modelled moth, papers, fabric, page from old novel, conte, thread, paper-bark, on Arches
I find these particular moths quite frequently in my studio, on ledges, just sitting there.
Apparently they are known to do this, without too much fluttering, and I think this is quite a good thing to emulate...
It also means I have a chance to study their little zig- zag wing markings, like fine pen drawings, and the blue " eyes" on the edges, that are a warning to predators.
I think those seem a rather feeble attempt at fierceness!
Another quaint name for these moths is
"Granny's cloke", and they are certainly soft and downy...
One day I found some papery, multi-layered bark peeling from a tree
(Paper-bark), with holes in it.
The fragility and torn edges of this stuff reminded me of moth's wings, so I thought it would make an apt combination.
A page from an old novel depicts a woman sitting quietly in a bower, reading, so I placed "her" under the "wings" like an angel.... protected.
It is naughty to rip up books I think,
and I only did it because I found this novel a bit too moralistic and sentimental for my liking (sorry to the author), and I didn't desire to keep it to read again; but just to rip up the nice old fading pages.
I think if I was ever going to make a self portrait... and I probably wouldn't bother to indulge ... this artwork would probably do....