The Antigonon Attraction

The Story Behind the Painting

At my exhibition I was approached by someone wanting to know if I had anymore artworks with butterflies on an Antigonon vine, as it held special meaning to them. I offered them a limited edition print but they wanted an original painting, so we settled on a new commissioned artwork. I made sure it had different butterflies with more flowers so it was considerably different from my previous painting.

Last year a vine was growing in the garden and produced an abundance of leaves and flowers which attracted a range of butterflies, bees and wasps. So I chose my best photos and created a collage of butterflies to paint.

Unfortunately this year the plant seems do have died back due to no rain in the past three and a half months. There is always hope though, as I think the previous year it died back to nothing and lay dormant in the ground for a few months before springing to life again.

My Painting Process

Pencil outline.


Progress 1.


Progress 2.


Progress 3.


Progress 4.


Finished Artwork.


Framed Artwork.


Gouache on Canson Paper

For my Black Label collection I use Winsor & Newton Gouache on Black Colourfix Art Spectrum Paper or Black Mi-Teintes Touch Canson Paper.

My painting come from my own experiences that I have photographed while traveling. By reading this blog, you as a viewer can now hear The Story Behind the Painting. Where, when, what was happening while I was photographing the wildlife. 

Enjoy, Chris Osborne

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