Dance

I have been noticing several yellow butterflies in my yard lately.  So when one landed in my oak tree the other day, I decided to take a photo of it so I could identify it:

I couldn’t get real close to it before it flew away.  Yet, I was able to identify it as a Western Tiger Swallowtail.

It is considered an active butterfly, rarely seen at rest.  I was thrilled that I was able to see this one land!

I needed to look at a better photo in order to draw it in my sketchbook.  I was so excited to see that Kathy at Backyard Bird Nerd recently posted several AMAZING photos of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies on her blog!  Be sure to check them out here:  https://backyardbirdnerd.com/2016/06/21/ten-tiger-pictures/

Kathy generously gives me permission to use her photos in my artwork – Thank you Kathy!  🙂  I used her first photo to paint this butterfly in my art journal using gouache and color pencils:

I added a little collage to the bottom of the page with matte medium and watercolor on top.

Whenever I see a butterfly, I am reminded of the song, “I Hope You Dance,” by Lee Ann Womack:

I hope you will dance like a butterfly this weekend!

Cheers!  🙂