In Flight

The background came first.

Layers of pigmented beeswax built up slowly, colour finding colour, until the surface held something that felt alive. Soft sage, warm cream, the quiet blue-grey of early morning. Marilyn looked at it and knew: this was a garden waiting to happen.

What followed was a process of revelation. Hydrangea blooms were introduced through stencil, then built upward through accretion, layer by layer of wax adding dimension and weight until the flowers became sculptural. Edges were carved back into the surface, revealing depth beneath, the way light finds its way through petals.

The swallowtail butterfly was drawn first in alcohol ink, its outline precise and deliberate. Then, using a fine stylus, warm wax was worked into each section of the wing, filling the form with colour and translucency. The result is a butterfly that does not sit on the surface. It inhabits it.

This is a piece about the moment before everything changes. The flowers in full bloom. The butterfly mid-rest. The world holding its breath.

Technical Details

Medium: Encaustic wax on wooden substrate

Dimensions: 45.7 × 45.7 cm (18 × 18 in)

Frame: Stained wood, wired and ready to hang

Techniques: Accretion layering, surface carving, alcohol ink detailing, stylus wax fill

Edition: Original, 1 of 1