Scream of the Butterfly

2022 (A collection of self-portraits) Butterflies are often associated with a whimsical beauty but one rarely considers the brutal process the creature goes through to become that way. Caterpillars retreat into their cocoons and within the darkness begin to digest themselves, a painful act which we do not see. After the metamorphosis, we observe the light and delicate butterfly float off out of the abandoned carcass of its past self. In this series I focused on in-camera distortion using a long exposure, using my skin as the paint and my movement and emotions as the brush. I enhance these images, brining out only that which is already there.