Butterflies and Moths

Tuesday, 8th July. 

We haven't cut our hayfields yet so when you walk through them clouds of butterflies fly out of the grass - so far, apart from the meadow browns, I've spotted small orange skippers, ringlets and the beautiful marbled white. My father was a keen butterfly spotter and I think I caught some of his enthusiasm when I was small! Moths can be just as beautiful in a more subtle way though not as brightly coloured. I took the image of a moth for a collograph idea......

This collograph print was made by sticking textures - string, hessian, feathers etc on to card cut as a moth shape - ink is pressed in, wiped off and the card rolled through the etching press on to watercolour or smooth paper. 

I did the same for the great green grasshopper except that it is set on a hessian background-

And a stag beetle with a leaf......

These prints will be on show in the wagon during Somerset Open Studios '14.

Meanwhile work cotinues apace on the wagon! - glass going into the windows and the chestnut shingles applied to the outside...