Dust in the Wind

This piece was submitted by Crista Guevara Santamaria (’23).

In regards to her work, she writes, “This piece is an acrylic monochromatic grayscale painting attributed to my mother and grandmother. The butterfly is symbolic to my late grandmother who I have never had the pleasure to meet but has created a huge influence in my life. Butterflies are a natural symbol visually depicting beauty of the soul. The flower in the background is a sunflower symbolizing sincerity and purity of love. The contrast between the butterfly and the background creates an emphasis on the butterfly due to how dark it is. In addition, I focused on value in each element of this painting showing all the highlights and shadows throughout the leaves and details in the wings. I created texture in the middle of the flower to show all of the disc florets by adding a layer of epoxy as a base and painting over it. I dedicate this piece to my wonderful mother and her mother, illustrating the symbolic meaning of a butterfly and the beauty in a sunflower.”