PAPILLON'S ART PALACE
PAPILLON: THE BUTTERFLY STORY
Aristotle used the word "psyche" to mean both soul and butterfly. The ancient Greeks believed that while sleeping with their mouths open their souls left their mouths taking the form of a butterfly and roamed about.
Even the ancient Aztecs thought the butterfly had escaped through the mouth of a dead person. They saw the butterflies representing the souls of warriors who had died on the battlefield. Butterflies were regarded as symbols of immortality.
From the Middle Ages until today in such places as Ireland, the white butterfly or moth represents the soul of a sinless person on it's way to paradise. Spots on the wings can denote a soul on the way to purgatory.
In Africa the whole cycle of the butterfly is believed to represent the human life cycle.
To me the butterfly has always represented a free roaming, gay little spirit. They travel many miles, yet have a homing sense. So many are beautiful, a delight to watch flitting about. I feel lucky to have had them alight on a nearby plant or me. True, many are destructive to farmers and moths eat wool. But others are used to make silk. I happen to love silk garments: warm in winter, cool in summer.
But mainly, the fact that they brighten my thoughts whenever one passes in front of me is what I like best. It's almost like I have a new, albeit short duration friend. Perhaps they do have little souls of their own.
To conclude, my paintings represent my soul and often I feel like butterfly, flitting about happy and free.