This page has been set-up to explain about these sculptures, after several requests for information.
Like all my art and craft work, I make no money from selling these and I normally get people to pay direct to charity (so they can Gift Aid it) and provide me with a receipt in exchange for the sculpture or painting. In fact it costs me money to make the objects but I do it for the pleasure of making and knowing somebody else is enjoying the work.
The butterflies that I have made most recently have turned out to be very popular and they feel like something I have been trying to create all my life. They follow on from a series of others with similar aims.
I don’t have the facilities to make metal sculptures at home, so hire time at the Sculpture Lounge, usually on a weekend course that they are running. I have already volunteered to donate a piece to Stirley Farm with multiple butterflies and birds and so will be in the studio for a weekend each in May and June. I am hoping that I can have time to make a few extras for other people. If I can’t manage this I will pay for extra time.
The butterflies I have made so far have been based on the Ringlet (See the image at the top of the page) and the Comma.
In addition I will be adding Skipper butterflies to the Stirley work.
None of the butterflies are meant to copy the glorious colour of the real thing, just to capture them and their patterns in metal. I have chosen butterflies that can be found locally and which aren’t as dependent on colour for their identity. I have started adding a small amount of very thin oil paint to some of them or even part of them. This slows the oxidisation down and alters the colouring slightly. The sculptures are meant to oxidise (rust), so they change gradually until they reach a steady point which should last for many years. They look completely different, hour by hour and in different lights too.
Depending on the butterfly’s pattern and shape they can look more or less appealing (to taste!) with different wing positions. The Ringlet was the first I made and was intended to have the wings closed. The comma was intended to have the wings open but their wing shape has evolved to look like dead leaves when closed and that makes a distinctive profile too. With care, I can adjust the wing positions after they have been made.
I have displayed the butterflies indoors with stands but haven’t used these in garden settings. All the most recent ones have come with a single support rod that you simply push into the ground. That seems to work well and be stable, even in high winds. The rod might flex and the butterfly may turn round slightly in the highest winds. The rod can be short (designed to be pushed through a low shrub) or longer (thus making a profile against a background).
I will add to this page as more details become clear. You can register interest at this email art@valleycreations.me.
Thanks
Steve Scott