LORI DUNN SCRATCHBOARD ART
promoting conservation through artistic efforts
The Laws Of Attraction
12 x 18
SOLD
As a naturalist I have always loved finding and identifying moth species. I noticed while perusing my field guide that many moths have some very unconventional common names. It was with this in mind that the idea for this piece came into being.
Six of the seven moths featured are representatives of relationships from my distant, and not so distant, past. It's a tongue-in-cheek personal piece for me - the meanings behind each are left for the viewer to surmise, although some of the names leave little to be discovered. From the bottom left corner going clockwise the moths are: "The bad wing" (Dyspteris abortivaria), "dubious tiger moth" (Spilosoma dubia), "confused haploa" (Haploa confusa), "once-married underwing" (Catocala unijuga), "luna moth" (Actias luna), "girlfriend underwing" (Catocala amica), and "blinded sphinx" (Paonias excaecata).
In folklore, the luna moth has long represented renewal of body and spirit and also wisdom and intuition. As true for many moth species, it exists only for one week, never feeding, simply reproducing and then dying. It is a symbol of making the most of our short time here on earth and it's place here at the top of the lantern is reserved for the promise of the future. I loved doing this piece and I can now count it as one of the top 3 artworks that I have ever created.
