Lacewing Flights I

Lacewing Flights I, II, and III

The Lacewing Flights triptych brought with it the joyful opportunity to reconnect with friends who shared the experience of living overseas in Italy. Collaborative in nature, the project was based on a mutual love of art, design, paper and textile. The proposed imagery of multiple lacewings in flight for display at Lacewing Cellars winery (and also for use on their wine labels) resonated deeply with me on many levels, to include my graphic design background, my love of flight and memories of my favorite Italian vineyard.

As subjects, the lacewings’ fluid forms are lovely to explore and I was particularly attentive to the proportions of the bodies and the shapes of the wings in various stages of flight. Another intentional composition consideration is the negative spaces between the lacewings within and amongst the canvases. I prepared each canvas using rice paper from Thailand as the textured background surface. It serves as a subtle backdrop that adds a fibrous and organic element to the work. The lacewings themselves are created from a vibrant palette of global papers to include: Korean wrapping paper, Indian decorative paper, Nepalese collage paper, origami paper, marbled paper, watercolor paper, a Japanese temple tourist brochure, and Lacewing wine labels for the signature stamps. Both sides of gold-sheen fibrous tissue paper from the Philippines delineate the top and underside positions of each wing. The paper layers are meticulously painted on to the canvas with a liquid adhesive and coated with a sealant for durability. The legs and antennae are embroidered with gold metallic thread from Japan and the final detail is the addition of gold seed beads for the eyes. Each lacewing demonstrates its own personality, with a unique signature of colors and textures defining its form. Each canvas is a complete cohort and viewed together they represent a dynamic gathering. May these pieces of art always be a source of inspiration and relaxed contemplation.