Previous Artwork:
Seahorses and Seafans
Native Moths, Butterflies and Flowers
Title: “Transformation & Pollination”
Media: Water-based acrylic on concrete
Description: Six Lepidopterans (butterflies, moths) and two flowers are arranged in a radial array with dark blue-violet decorative geometric linework over top a light turquoise background.
Statement:
Sarasota, Florida is home to a variety of flora and fauna, affected by climate change and human expansion. Pollinators such as birds, bees, and butterflies are an important part of the life cycle to ensure continued growth of crops and vegetation for humans and animals alike. This mural highlights some of the native flora and Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) native to Sarasota:
● Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus), orange and black butterfly with white spots, similar to a Monarch.
● Rose Rush (Lygodesmia aphylia), light purple wildflower with ragged, thin petals.
● Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), yellow and black butterfly with “tails” on its lower wings.
● Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia), brown butterfly with large eye spots on its wings.
● Gulf Fritillary (Dione vanillae), brown and orange butterfly with white spots.
● Pine Lily (Lilium catesbaei), red, yellow, and orange lily with dark red-violet flecks on its petals.
● Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus), black and white/pale green striped butterfly with “tails” on its lower wings.
● Io Moth (Automeris Io), deep yellow moth with deep red/rust colored ring around the black eye spots on its lower wings.
Artist
Sara Engel
Sara Engel is an eclectic artist of many mediums. She has held a residency at Howard County Arts Center since late 2019, where she designs and builds unique stained glass pieces and manages her small business, The Handcrafty Sloth. Her inspiration often comes from nature, as well as pop culture and art history. Sara’s glass designs often break the picture plane and strays away from traditional frame shapes such as rectangles and ovals. In addition to stained glass, she paints in acrylics, oils, watercolor, knits and crochets, and sculpts in clay. She hopes to incorporate mixed media into her stained glass work in the future. She has also painted a large mural at Baltimore International Academy West, spanning the majority of the perimeter of the large cafeteria.
When not creating in the studio, she is inspiring the next generation to create as a public school art teacher in Baltimore City, Maryland. She hopes to instill in her students a desire to express themselves using creative skills, as well as see art as a therapeutic outlet and form of communication.
Instagram: @theHandcraftySloth
Etsy shop: theHandcraftySloth.etsy.com