Atlas Silk Moth in Guinevere’s Woods

12×16 acrylic on stretched canvas in gold wood frame.

This amazing creature is one of the largest moths in the world, with a wingspan of 9-12 inches. The silk it produces isn’t used for fabric, but the cocoons are sometimes used as small purses in Taiwan. These moths have no mouths, and only live for a few days. During this time, their objective is to mate and reproduce. Such ephemeral beauty!

The background is a poured acrylic piece in soft purple, gold, rose and brown – pretty much all the same colors as the moth. A friend loved the background by itself, and said it reminded her somehow of the mythical Queen Guinevere. I loved the poetic imagery, so used both the moth and background in the title.