For the Love of Lucky Ladies

Ladybugs: These gentle, shelled, spotted tiny creatures are enchanting. Ladybugs have a nostalgic place in my childhood heart. As a child playing with friends outside, they would fly and land on us, so we chanted the nursery rhyme, “Fly Away Home,” to coax them into flight.
I create references for these paintings by purchasing live ladybugs and releasing them in the garden. Once they acclimate and become more active, I look to capture the delicateness of their presence with each other and amid the surrounding landscape. By depicting them as larger than life, I capture their detail among the background abstraction of their garden home. The contrast of their reddish rigid “candy” bodies against the billowy and soft textured garden greenery creates a beautiful duality of nature.
 In many cultures, the ladybug is recognized as a widespread symbol of good luck and new beginnings because they help farmers by feasting on pests that eat or damage crops.