This is an oil painting of a six-spot burnet butterfly sitting on a purple flower. The six-spot burnet is a beautifully colored moth that flies during daytime. Overall, the moth is black, with a subtle blue glimmer on the wings and body, but the real eye-catchers are the bright red spots on the moth’s wings.
To capture the delicacy and subtle textures of the moth, I created this painting with a layered approach, using transparent paint. Also, marble dust was added to the paint to achieve the dreamy feel of the velvety body of the moth, and the purple green surroundings.
I painted this painting after a visit to the French alps in the summer. There I saw this moth for the first time, and I thought they made a stunning impression with their red wings. Later, I saw them also here in the Netherlands. During that same summer, I also painted a speckled wood butterfly. You can find that one over here.
