Fallen Monarch Wings

I've titled this "Fallen Wings" My son (when he was 7 years old) came home from school with a butterfly that had been deceased for a while and was still intacted, expect for the head and legs. He had carefully put it into his lunch box, so it wouldn't get smashed and was excited to show me the moment I saw him after school (..it's a good thing...because I would of jumped and screamed upon seeing this in his lunch box!)
A Bit of Fact: The Monarch Butterfly migrates along the costal area of California and we are lucky enough to have them stop by not to far from where we live. Once a year they arive in the Santa Cruz area and cluster in the eucalyptus trees.
Anyways, I was impressed how vibrant the wings were even after it's death. Although I am no expert in butterflies, it looks like it had a full live and even parts of the wings were weathered and worn. Thus my inspiration for this piece. I had put in the kanji word for "aura" or "one's spirit" in a boxed formation on my piece...I think one can put together their own interpretation of death and aura and that's there's beauty in that concept and connection.

Note: I experimented with making my own "paper" background for this piece. I had no intention of something that I would get attached to, but turned out better then I thought. The background is a method that I've learned in Joan's Pastel Class at the SC Art League, using pastel acrylic grounds, acrylic paints, and BFK Paper. I will put together some photos of that method in the near future.