Tiny moments
I find so often on our big adventures, it’s the tiniest things I capture that mean the most later as I settle in to choose future art pieces. I have many grand landscapes but today, chose this gathering of Boisduval’s Blues all gathering to sip on salts and minerals in the wet stream bank.
An image like this brings a flood of memories of the moment: I had shed my hikers and was walking barefoot enjoying the cool mud surrounding the stream. The water was ice cold. The surrounding area was meadowy and afforded us little shade but we were surrounded by lupine and fireweed in all directions. As we sat, a group of ladies hiked through–a Meetup group enjoying the beautiful afternoon. As I soaked my feet a few moments, I watched this group of butterflies pacing back and forth across a tiny plot of mud. Occasionally one would flutter into the air, but moments later, it was back among its peers, dabbling in the mud again.
Getting in close was easy. Assuming a bizarre acrobatic position to avoid casting my own shadow over these gems glistening in the sun–not so easy. So lovely; so brilliant; absolutely silent in their diligence. I am calling these beautiful blues “Fluttering Gems.” I have not yet decided how I will go about printing them– they call for aluminum, but I may try something new. We shall see!
