Speaking of Art Blog

Wings and Wood, pastel, 12x12"

August 31, 2026 was a difficult day for my family because 8 trees in our backyard woods that had either been damaged or had fallen as a result of the fierce derecho storm that struck NW Indiana on Aug. 11, had to be chopped up and removed from our yard. It took a professional tree service all day to complete the task. Most of that morning our yard looked like a tree graveyard. It was heartbreaking to lose 1/3 of our beautiful trees. I was feeling defeated. BTW, my family and I live within 2 miles of the Indiana Dunes National and State Parks where over 1,000 trees were felled by the derecho. It’s been devastating for all of us in the area.

But within 15 minutes of the tree cleanup being done, I spotted a deer wandering through our woods, munching on grass and leaves which were newly exposed by the process of removing those trees. Deer are such graceful creatures. They take my breath away. Then moments later I spotted a gorgeous Red-spotted Purple butterfly that had landed on our second-floor deck, another rare sighting. I grabbed my camera and got a few good pics before it fluttered away.

Do you know how long a Red-spotted Purple butterfly’s life lasts once it emerges from its chrysalis? Two weeks, that’s it. So, it was extra rare to have one come right to our deck for me to photograph during its precious brilliant brief life.

Those 2 appearances right on the heels of such a devastating scene made my mood change. I suddenly felt blessed to be alive and to witness nature’s bountiful variety and livelihood, and I felt the urge to express myself with my pastels. The very next day I started creating this painting of the butterfly on our deck. I decided to include the big triangular chunk of wood because wood and trees weighed heavily on my mind that week. Expressing myself through the creation of that painting was a joyous effort for me.

As I was putting the finishing touches on the painting, I noticed that I had created a slight suggestion of a very small circle in the middle of a fuzzy edged tree branch that runs diagonally to the left of the butterfly. I accentuated that small circle, and then something told me to turn it into a spiral. So, I did. I liked it, a lot. I’ve come to the point in my art playtime at my easel to not second guess my inner urgings to add something not shown in my reference photo at all, like that spiral. I truly believe that it’s my subconscious taking over during those times. It knows even better than my conscious mind what my painting needs in those final finishing moments. But I was left with a question: “Why? Why the spiral? What does that signify or symbolize? Why does it look correct to me?”

I decided to ask Google about the symbolism of a small spiral in a painting.  Here is what I found:

“In 2-D painting, a small spiral often serves as a concentrated visual metaphor, representing growth, evolution, the journey of life, or a concentrated point of energy. Because spirals are found throughout nature—from seashells to galaxies—artists use them to connect human experiences to cosmic or biological rhythms.”

Amazing synopsis! There is so much packed into that paragraph that I don’t know where to begin. All I know is that I was feeling and thinking about a lot of metaphors while I was painting this scene, of how our planet is trying to right itself while it goes through atmospheric evolutionary climate changes that are getting quite violent all over the world. I was also pondering how the timing/rhythms seem to be off as of late between flower growth and butterfly migration. How do I know this? I hike almost every day year-round at the Indiana Dunes and I write down my butterfly sightings in a butterfly journal. Witnessing the deer and butterfly in our yard right on the heels of so many trees being laid to rest made me stop to marvel at nature’s circle of life, its energy, and its continuing journey forward.

Painting this scene became a meditation, a lifting up, a sign of respect for all of nature. I was humbled, awed by the experience. More than anything else, I feel that little additional spiral represents nature’s hope for tomorrow. And if an achingly beautiful butterfly can share its fleeting 2-week life’s beauty with me as a free gift, then I have no excuse but to offer up my creative effort on paper for the world to see that butterfly’s exquisiteness as well.

I’m so glad I included that little spiral right above the butterfly. It’s the perfect spot for such a small shape that holds so much nuanced meaning.