Laura Caseberry

The image shows a garden with a body of water and trees in the background. A figure sits in the middle of the image on the grass of the garden with their head resting on a long, low bench. They appear to sleep. To the right of them is an anthropomorphic butterfly of human size which bends down to pick up dropped pieces of paper the figure appears to have been working on. In the background beyond the large butterfly we see the species (the purple crow) also depicted in it's caterpillar and chrysalis stages with a wooden structure similar to a boat house. to the left side of the painting a large tree leans over into the garden creating some shade and on the bench blue sits a blue magpie.

Idea (2026)
Acrylic on canvas
90cm x 60cm

Idea
(poem)

explore concept

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.