The painting composition started with a photograph I took of a green space while living in Taiwan. It was important to me to tie in local elements, and I had been taken aback by the amazing high and varied butterfly population I encountered while living there.

The caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly are the stages of a Purple Crow Butterfly 紫斑蝶 (Euploea tulliolus); one of the world’s only overwintering, migrating butterfly species.

The left-hand side of the painting also details the endemic Taiwanese (Blue) Magpie 長尾山娘.

The purple-ish lake stemmed from an article I read about Haloarchaea. These organisms thrive in extremely salty water and produce a distinct purple hue due to the way they capture sunlight and convert it to energy. Now, as climate change accelerates and water salinity rises globally, these resilient microbes are thriving and expanding their footprint.