My medium is real butterfly wings. Some of the pieces have found bird feathers, copper wire and leather strings. I like natural materials. I apply the wings to felt and encase each art piece into recycled thrifted frames. All collages are created with real butterfly wings ethically sourced and purchased from a butterfly sanctuary. Wings are collected after the butterflies have completed their natural life cycle and proceeds support the sanctuary's conservation efforts. It can take months to gather enough wings for a single art piece as I must wait for each butterfly to transition through all of its life stages. The entire process is sustainable, reliant on natural and recycled materials. 

It feels sacred and captivating to work with a creature that once breathed life, crawled on it's belly against the earth then literally transformed to be able to take flight across the skies, a creature who went through metamorphosis to live for such a brief amount of time. As I work I notice how delicate yet strong each wing is. I feel each vein and texture, see each crease and unique color pattern and exquisite design. Each wing is a natural art masterpiece unto itself. Using real butterfly wings as my medium is an act of extreme patience and respect for nature and the cycles of life and death.

Each portrait is inspired from a dream or vision. Some dreams are vague, others are clear and haunting…sometimes they have stories, sometimes they are a scene from a distant time period. I am the conduit using wings to give homage to ancestors. The image plagues me until I sketch what I think I remember. Once I set the first wing onto the felt, I am taken on a journey of sorts. It's like dreaming all over again this time awake, then the creation is done. Within each collage a piece of an ancestors story lies, a brilliant acknowledgement of their existence.