Naked Butterfly grew from drawing sessions in which several artists pooled resources to hire nude life models who were experienced at holding their bodies in the exaggerated poses appropriate for life drawing. As I drew these models in oil pastels, I found myself merely suggesting their forms with simple lines that were unrealistic in color. I also portrayed the models as Asian, although they were actually Caucasian.

Until I began working solely in the textile medium in 2006, I thought these drawings were finished works of art, but recently realized that the drawings – with the correct backgrounds and elaborations -- would adapt well to the quilt-making process, potentially making them deeper and more expressive. Naked Butterfly is my first attempt in this direction.

The quilt portrays the beauty, yet the dangerous aspect, of nudity. The butterfly symbolizes promiscuity, as the butterfly flies from flower to flower, both drinking its nectar and performing pollination.

Quilt History: Shown at "Meet the Experts" presentation, Long Beach International Quilt  Festival, July 25, 2009.