Carol Crivelli

Gallery 1 Butterflies

All of these paintings are inspired by nature. The purpose of these animal portraits are to show off their symmetry and beautiful design patterns and colors. I have focused a lot on butterflies. Rarely butterflies will sit still long enough for one to study their detailed pattern design. They flutter quickly, here and there, up and down, often hard to follow. I want to give the viewer time to see them. I paint them much larger than life, for a close up view.

I paint with gouache on paper, and acrylic on canvas or wood panels. Gouache is a water-based paint that provides the transparency of watercolor and the opaqueness of acrylic. It dries quickly, but reconstitutes easily with a little water. This makes its use easy and also difficult to apply. Gouache paint colors are gorgeous, I love their soft and creamy texture. That’s why I lay it on pretty thick. I do like thick paint, and that is why I also love to paint with acrylic on canvas or wood panels. You will see a mixture of both in this gallery.

I am drawn to butterflies as many people, of many cultures, have been. Butterflies symbolize rebirth, change, inner peace, happiness, hope, life and good luck. There have even been spiritual meanings attached to their different colors. But I am worried about them. In California, the Monarch butterfly population has drastically declined over the past 3-4 decades, due to habitat loss and pesticides. They are endangered. I started gardening after retirement, I plant lots of flowers and milkweed hoping to attract Monarchs and other butterflies. We need them. Butterflies are not only beautiful creatures, but they are important pollinators.

In this gallery you will also find smaller painted butterflies, framed in shadow boxes to mimic the real pinned butterflies. I am happy to say no butterflies were harmed in the “mounting” in these paintings. I became interested in butterflies during my last year of teaching. I had created a unit of study around rain forest plants and animals. After learning about many species, I was drawn to the exquisiteness of butterflies. I then became curious and wanted to learn about local species. I use photos from books as references. I draw the insects several times their actual size, again to show off their pattern design and color.

You will notice in this group of paintings, I also pay homage to the endangered Indian elephant.