“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible”
paul klee
eyal holtzman
Song of the Butterfly
Handcrafted & hand-painted butterflies collection
“Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible”
paul klee
I always loved butterflies. I used to collect them as a child, but at some point I stopped. I couldn’t bear having to kill them.
Now, in my project “Song of the Butterfly”, I explore the fine line between art and reality by creating butterflies from wood and painting them by hand. I frame them with their (scientific) names, but without glass and without pins: they’re free, as it were, to come and go as they please.
I choose to concentrate on real, native species: this is my humble ode to nature. My pieces are, however, slightly larger than life-size; while still looking real, this emphasizes their grace and presence.
A selection of these handmade butterflies is presented below.
Some time around 1975...
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eyal holtzman
Song of the Butterfly
Handcrafted & hand-painted butterflies collection
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All the pieces are for sale and can be shipped internationally. Each image links to a separate page with price and details.
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Many pieces have already been sold. New ones can be commissioned, and usually take about two or three weeks to complete.
Just like in nature, they’re similar but never identical; each piece is unique. You can follow the process with pictures and see the end result before delivery.
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Song of the Butterfly is on exhibition at the gallery of Elisabeth Vreedehuis, now extended until november 25, 2022
A fantastic post about Song of the Butterfly by the Dutch Butterfly Conservation foundation.
I regulartly share new work in progress on social media: Facebook and Instagram
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Watch on YouTube a video of the whole process, from a piece of wood to a framed butterfly:
Each piece begins with a shape study: what defines it? Which silhouette is the most distinctive and recognizable?
I use a jigsaw to cut out the shapes from fine-grained, recycled cherry wood.
I get the basic three dimensional form with mechanical sanders.
With jewelers files, multi-tools, scalpels and sandpaper I fine tune and add detail, eyes and hair.
I use various colourfast, pigment-rich pencils, gouache and acrylic paints for the artwork.
I place the end result in a handmade frame with its scientific name, but without glass and without pins: it’s free, as it were, to come and go as it pleases.
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I studied Graphic & Typographic Design, graduating from the Royal Academy of Art (kabk) in The Hague in 1996. I have been active as an independent artist, designer and lecturer, teaching at art academies in Holland and China. Since 2007 I have been co-running graphic design agency Studio Eyal & Myrthe, specializing in books and typography.
* In this website I used my own typeface Kristal, which is available at type foundry Bold Monday.
E-mail: eyal@songofthebutterfly.art
WhatsApp: +31-6-1909-5460
Facebook: /songofthebutterfly.art
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“A man’s work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.”
albert camus
