Defy the Design (butterfly) by Steven Musser and Kamdyn Alexis Love
Medium: Acrylic on acrylic board, raised texture is paint in tiered layers
Dimensions: 8 x 10
Artist Statement: This piece is designed to defy logic and spatial awareness as the scrambled letters and backward design defy what logic and the norm would represent. I intended this piece to be used near the entry of the art show as it contains the title to the show in a unique way and the raised texture defies standard painting techniques, while the imagery of the butterfly is contrary to nature's normal design and patterns, yet it represents a community often who has to defy the world to live their true lives.
Image description: Acrylic painting with black background, centered on a butterfly with a large eye. The body is painted in raised and textured red paint. The wings are painted in blended black to white patters, with the veins or edges of the wings painted in bright rainbow colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple) that are raised and textured like the body. Above and below the butterfly words painted backwards are in the same colors and raised texture, reading “Defy the Design.” Several other letters, also in bright colors and raised texture, and floating around the image, including “LBGTQ2AI+”