All That Glitters

GlimmerFlitterFly   oil/gold leaf on canvas   16 x 20 x 1.5

 My favorite summer insects are both dragon- and damselflies.  They flit about our gardens lending energy and magic to the surrounds.  When out in the kayak, they skim the water and land on paddles, the boat itself, and even on your head!  There seems to be an intelligence about them as well as a bit of kinship...as if they are conversing with you.  The same dragonflies or their lookalike offspring seem to frequent the same garden spots from year to year.  

I had to switch up my approach for this project...soft edges gave way to a more scientific (for me) depiction.  Details were honored to a  degree.  And, while contemplating the "where to go from here" and the "what else is needed?", I vacillated between using saturated hues in the background or a textured calligraphic approach.  It sat in my studio for weeks before I settled on using gold leaf, the use of which seemed to be emblematic for my summer friends.  The application of the leaf is both exhilarating and maddening, as the very thin papery leaves are strewn everywhere even from breathing.  

OK then.  It is done. I only hope that I have done justice to this small lovely creature.