This project explores the grief that comes from growing up and leaving childhood. I created a mixed media piece that incorporated recycled materials including cardboard, wire, lace scraps, and an old book. I created many cyanotypes using a combination of childhood photos and portraits that I took of my family and friends. I thought a lot about using line and color to adorn the wings without taking away focus from the cyanotypes. I mixed colors, like the light blue and pinks, to compliment the cyanotypes and evoke a feeling of childlike whimsy. I created 22 butterflies total, one for each year I have been alive, and it spanned the entire 17 feet of space I was given. I installed the butterflies to create a swirling composition that leads your eye through the piece. This project is my way of confronting my complicated feelings surrounding the nostalgia and grief of growing up.
