I have always been drawn to butterflies. They are ornate, intricate, detailed and delicate little creatures that flit in and out of my life creating awe and offering me the opportunity to pause and be grateful for the beauty that surrounds me. Lacewing butterflies have always mesmerized me. I find the detailed markings around the edges of the wings exquisite, and I wanted to challenge myself to see how much detail I could capture in a metal butterfly sculpture.

It was a fun process of coloring, grinding then re-coloring to create depth and layered tones across the wings. I colored it blue first (the hottest torch tone), then ground back through purple and gold to reveal the different layers underneath. Finally I carefully ground in silver accents to set the different colored portions of the wings apart. I designed this butterfly sculpture based on the underside of the orange lacewing's wings but decided to present it as though they were the top of the wings because it made more aesthetic sense.

This Orange Lacewing butterfly sculpture is wall hanging, made entirely of stainless steel, colored using only heat patinas, and is safe to be kept outdoors!