The Chrysalis Project

 An artistic journey of discovery, The Chrysalis Project chronicles the astounding life cycle and migration of the eastern North American monarch butterfly through poetic imagery. Nature’s lush green beauty serves as a theater for illuminated monarchs, a stage for the story of transformative life in vivid motion. Few subjects could better invigorate the spirit of new beginnings. The mysteries and miracles of the monarch’s life cycle herald hope and offer inspiration while illustrating the grandeur and fragility of the natural world.

As the project unfolds, the artwork depicts the larva and caterpillar, captures the chrysalis stage, and then reveals the metamorphosing of the winged monarch before its arduous north-to-south migration. This breathtaking saga is staged annually in nature from lower Canada, across the eastern United States, and then as far south as the Cerro Pelón monarch sanctuary near Macheros, Mexico. Here, at the rugged edge of Michoacán, monarchs spend the winter in magnificent clusters, clinging to oyamel fir trees until the warmth of the sun energizes them. Then, as if celestial creatures, they rise in glory to fill the mountain heavens before their migration back to northern habitats.

The Chrysalis Project contains 24 superior quality giclee prints, with each measuring 30″ x 19.5″ and produced with full gamut inks on Museo rag paper to museum standards. Each print is presented in an 8-ply rag mat with hardwood maple framing. Every numbered print is one of only 100, plus ten artist’s proofs, of each image, thus meeting the traditional stringent standards of limited-edition printmaking.

To strengthen its purpose, The Chrysalis Project has a philanthropic component; 15% of print sales are given to Chrysalis House of Lexington, Kentucky’s oldest and largest licensed substance abuse treatment program for women. In this totality, the project is a traveling art exhibit envisioned to create ecological awareness, celebrate nature’s beauty and offer support for addiction recovery. More information is

available on prints and framed art, and questions about the work or The Chrysalis Project traveling exhibit should be directed to Hockensmith’s Fine Art Editions Gallery and Press in Georgetown, Kentucky, at 502-863-2299 or via email to info@finearteditions.net.

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