Emergence of the Butterfly

Year: 2008

Dimensions: 8"T x 5"W x 5"D

Materials: Inlaid vase of fiddleback maple and blackwood with an inner chamber. Finished powdered mica, metal-acid dyes and musical-instrument lacquer.

Comment: This chamber has a butterfly inlay, a threaded lid, and it contains a silk scroll upon which is printed a haiku written by my son Ian:

  on a sunlit vine
  rustle of leaves reveals
  a butterfly’s wings

The inlay consists of crushed minerals crystals and turquoise. The vase has a vine in bloom motif and the chamber is inlaid with two swallowtail butterflies, one showing the blue top wing surface and the other the black bottom wing surface.