Exploration
Year Completed: 2026
Materials: Electronic equipment parts, scrap metal, nails, cardstock, paintbrush handles, acrylic paint, oil pastels, E600 glue
Dimensions: 20” x 30”
Status: In Personal Collection
Series: Experience through Insects
Exhibition: Serene and Savage 2026 - MVA Gallery, Bethlehem, PA May - June 2026
The Process
For this project, I experimented with unconventional materials to create a cityscape. After trying out many possible layouts on paper and physically, I layered electronic equipment, scrap metal pieces, and black cardstock to form buildings based on the principle of rhythm. They slightly jutted out of my foam board base, creating a slight 3D aspect and dynamic shows in different lighting.
At first, the caterpillar was going to be green and have a unique head shape, but I changed it to be gold and red to match the sunrise, inspired by a monarch, to flow better with the whole piece. After testing what good proportion would be with a model caterpillar and a block, and trying different orientations with paper, I created the central caterpillar using cardstock so it could literally bend around the building and I painted it with acrylic paint. Additionally, I ended up removing one of the center buildings to help foster greater rhythm and unity, though it required a lengthy repair. In the foreground, I used metal from paintbrush handles and blue cardstock to create a guard rail for the road that functioned as a leading line and supported my overall golden ratio composition with the caterpillar at the focus. The reflection on the water was done with oil pastels to add vibrancy and even greater variety of mediums.
Ideas
The central idea with this piece was to depict the bold naivety of early childhood. I represented young children’s fresh creativity as an impossibly large vibrant caterpillar, exploring through the logical and industrial modern world– demonstrated through the background made of metal, mechanical pieces– with confidence as the sunrise symbolized the “new day” as the caterpillar foreshadowed the beautiful butterfly, aka person, they would grow up into. I made the caterpillar defy reality and even come into the 3D world off of the piece to really highlight the limitless of youthful creativity found in toddlers and kids that aren't yet crushed by the “realistics” of society. This idea is what led my entire piece and influenced me to really push the limits of what I could use to create and the contrast I could display. In many ways, this project forced me to see the world through the lense of those I was trying to represent as I experimented in a playful manner throughout.
