Well actually, time was on my side. It just so happens that at that time in my life I was working at Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research. What does this have to do with Monarchs? At that time they were conducting migration studies on Monarch butterflies, and using them for educational outreach; they reared them year-round in the greenhouses along with the Southern Milkweed plant! I loved going into the room to witness the stages of development whenever I needed to go into the greenhouse. Sometimes I just went down there to visit them, with no other purpose in mind. Then came the call to create.

The challenge wasn't over though. In order for me to use the Monarchs, I was not allowed to take them home alive and release them. They were not genetically altered, but the Institute's protocol was bound by agreements I could not alter. At some point in the course of the study, the Monarchs would be placed in the freezer, at which point I was allowed to take them out and work with the specimens before rigor mortis set in. I wanted a more realistic perspective, and when they are stiff, you can't setup a pose. Using some gentle sponges, I posed an especially well preserved specimen to give me a perspective I could observe as long as needed to create the final painting. I felt sorry about the loss of the Monarchs, but I'd like to think I honored them in some small way by this painting. Below are photos of the setup and the final painting on my oak drafting table. In addition, because of the ample specimens of Southern Milkweed available (which are structurally similar to our northern variety) I was better able to develop the Milkweed composition from photographic refereces, for color and structure, because I had its cousin in my studio.

In all, this was one of my favorite painting experiences, and I loved the painting so much, the Monarch is now my own logo. I also pleasantly wonder how many people have received the Acorn Designs notecard and were hopefully moved by what they saw and the little pollination story on the back of the card. Finally, I learned the value of having great reference material on hand. Since then, when I find interesting specimens, already dead and in decent shape, I grab them up. You never know when you will be asked again to do a painting or have an idea that could benefit from having a little wonder cabinet of curiosities on hand! –See you soon at the conference! LU
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Acorn Design's lovely site: http://www.acorndesigns.org/
Check out BTI's lovely site too: http://bti.cornell.edu/
There's a photo of the Butterfly Weed, much like the one grown in BTI's greenhouses, available on the Cornell Plantations' Web site right now, also an Asclepias but different color and leaves: http://www.plantations.cornell.edu/
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