A Behind The Brush look at ‘Butterfly Whims’ (Belfry Theatre blog named it “Spirits Fly”)
In honor of the Belfry Music Theatre grand re-opening in Williams Bay, WI, local artists were invited to creatively express on wooden bowls their interpretation of “A Bowl Full of Laughter”. Naturally I was delighted to participate and at first I over-thought the project: “How do you paint laughter?!” Then after holding the bowl, allowing inspiration to take its course, I gravitated toward the embodiment of what happiness and joy means for me personally – butterflies. I have a covenant with God to send me a butterfly in any form when He wants me to know He is thinking of me or when I need a friendly reminder to seek Him. Needless to say I see many regularly and every time they appear it makes me giggle. This bowl was entirely God-breathed inspiration.
It started with the hammered bronze base on the outside; perfectly fertile soil with which to nurture whatever was calling to be painted next. (I had a basic idea of what I wanted, but many times the piece develops as you work and, thankfully, will typically render something even greater than originally perceived.)
The inside of the bowl was indecisive; flowers, flowers and more flowers for the butterflies to rest upon? Maybe. Well, whatever was coming about it would need a base and I had the perfect medium: metallic peridot acrylic. It looked cool and paired well with the bronze, but if the inside calls for only flowers, where’s the element of laughter? What could it look like when laughter surrounds this space? Something flowing… whimsical…
Swirls, naturally.
As the swirls unfolded I could see that a floral base was unnecessary. These butterflies aren’t resting in a space of laughter – they’re on a journey and have all they need. One could say their ‘cup runneth over’. As the swirls outgrew the bowl and spilled over the sides, related scripture was begging to emerge on the rim. You’ll see reference to Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4, 11; Psalm 66:1; and Proverbs 17:22.
There are three butterflies for the Trinity: blue representing God the Father (royalty), red representing the Son (blood), and yellow representing the Holy Spirit (light).
As always, my signature is red, symbolic of “her price is far above rubies” and the Proverbs 31 woman.
Upon completion, I pray over each piece – gratitude for guidance and blessings of love, joy, peace, protection, faith, and prosperity over the recipient.
It was a fun piece and I was blessed to work for a great cause. This bowl was one of many auctioned off with proceeds going to the re-building of the Belfry Theatre where the acting careers of Paul Newman, Harrison Ford, and Gary Burghoff (Radar from M*A*S*H*) were cultivated. For more deets on the theatre and how you can help with this piece of history, visit www.BelfryMusicTheatre.com
