Mosaic Monday: The Butterfly Inside

Today I have a card I submitted for publication, they were looking for sympathy or encouragement cards that did not have a greeting on the front. It wasn't accepted, but that's cool, now I can share it with you! :) I was really pleased with how it turned out. This is just one more variation on the caterpillar and butterfly themed cards I've done, but this may be my favorite: layering the caterpillar over the body with the butterfly behind it.Because the body of the butterfly and caterpillar (from "A Year of Leaves") are approximately the same size and shape this works a bit like a spotlighting technique even though they are too different images, but what it represents to me is that the butterfly is already contained inside the caterpillar, as our potential for what we can become is already planted inside of each of us, right now.

"Inspiration Mosaic" is stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black on Pure Luxury White and trimmed exactly on the border. I colored a few boxes and the border in a pale blue Copics to match the iridescent facets of the butterfly wings. Butterfly is accented with Stardust Stickles. Cardbase is Soft Sand.

Here is the inside of the card. The quote from "A Year of Leaves" is stamped in black over the versmarked butterfly from "Take Flight" to match the front.

I remember a wonderful story I read while researching Michelangelo for a report in junior high. Though I cannot find the exact quote now, the story went like this: when asked one time how he created such amazing sculptures, he replied that sculpting was the art of "taking away"and said something to the effect of: "God already put the sculpture in the marble. It is just my job to remove the rock around it."

(Sounds to me like a grand approach for life in revealing our true selves...)

I hope this inspires! Have a blessed week! :)