Life Cycle I
Life Cycle I
Imagine standing in the permaculture garden surrounded by towering sunflowers and milkweed swaying in the breeze as bees hum and butterflies dance from bloom to bloom. Can you imagine the exciting moment when you see a Monarch butterfly land on the milkweed and lay her eggs? Can you imagine the thrill of this special moment knowing that the careful planning of this habitat is fulfilling its purpose: to sustain the third generation of monarchs on their incredible journey from Mexico? Ivana dipped the milkweed stems and sunflower leaves into a water and iron solution, feeling the slippery texture of plant material as she pressed them into paper with anticipation building. She wondered if this experiment would work since these aren't traditional dye plants, and when the print emerged she was surprised by the distinct impression from the sunflower centers. The browns, greens, and golds from the iron-mordant reaction create the foundation, but something was missing. She realize the bright yellow petals pigment didn't transfer, so she carefully painted them in with golden acrylic ink and metallic India inks to complete the sunflowers. Then she pained each stage of the Monarch butterfly's lifecycle. This unique artwork contains the plants monarchs depend on, and the experimental process mirrors both the fragility and resilience of their remarkable lifecycle from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly.
Envision this meaningful artwork in your living room, dining room, or study, where it celebrates both artistic innovation and habitat conservation. Guests notice the combination of printed and painted elements and ask about the plant pigment process and monarch migration, sharing their own efforts to plant milkweed or create pollinator gardens. The piece connects to that universal desire to protect threatened species through our choices and recognize that even small patches of habitat matter profoundly. This artwork celebrates the complete lifecycle of monarchs and our role in providing the plants that sustain their epic journey.
“I am so inspired by the incredible migration that the Monarch butterfly makes from Mexico through the United States. In Massachusetts where the BSU garden is, we see them stop by and we know this is likely the third generation that has made it’s way to New England. The caterpillars that hatch in our garden are likely the 4th “super” generation who have to make the entire return trip to the forests of Mexico where they breed in the winter. I wanted to create an artwork that captured this life cycle and integrated the plants that they feed on in the garden. I was not sure if this would work because these two plants are not traditional dye plants, like most of the plants I use to make plant pigment prints. When I created the print, I dipped the milkweed, leaves and stem of the sunflower into an iron-based solution, because I knew iron would bind to the mordant in the paper. I impressed those with the immature sunflower heads into the paper and was surprised that I got a very distinct print from the sunflower centers and all the other plant material. Something was missing though, the sunflower petals! They did not print any pigment, so I decided to paint them in using acrylic ink and india ink.”
This one-of-a-kind mixed media artwork combines archival pigment ink printing with hand-painting in gouache, watercolor, India ink, and acrylic inks. This artwork started as a plant pigment print at a smaller size. Ivana scanned the print of the milkweed and sunflowers at high resolution to make it four times larger. She printed one 14" x 21" archival pigment ink print on 100% reclaimed content matte fine art cotton paper, manufactured in Moab, Utah, with wind power, ensuring both longevity and environmental responsibility. Then she hand-painted it with gouache, watercolor, India ink, and acrylic inks. Only this single hand-painted completed artwork exists. The production of the artwork represents Ivana's commitment to using materials that align with the environmentally conscious philosophy expressed in the artwork itself. The artwork comes framed as shown with UV filtering plexiglass, a sustainable North American hardwood frame, cotton matt board, and acid-free foamcore backer board to ensure longevity. If you prefer it to come unframed, this can be arranged; just contact Ivana. The value of the archival framing, as shown, is $440. If you need help envisioning how it will look, a free digital mockup is available so you can see exactly how it will appear in your space before adding it to your collection. Contact Ivana for this service.
