"Madame Butterfly"

"He will call Butterfly from the distance
I without answering
Stay hidden
A little to tease him,
A little as to not die.
At the first meeting,
And then a little troubled
He will call, he will call
"Little one, dear wife
Blossom of orange""

~ Puccini

"Madame Butterfly" model, dancer Cori Kolasinski, daughter of an artist friend. Charcoal on Mylar drafting film, 24 x 20."

This is a "double sided" drawing, I drew on both sides of the translucent Mylar, and it will be hung in a frame between 2 sheets of glass. The piece is meant to be hung near a picture window in the gallery space, with daylight shining through the window during the day, and with spot lights after dark. There will be room behind the piece so that viewers will be able to view the work from either side. Kind of a quick loose drawing, because I wanted to show movement. I used the progressive setting on my camera to capture movement - I have hundreds of usable photos from the shoot. The res was a bit lower, but the captures were fairly clear. I'll definitely draw more from this shoot at a later date. The voluminous skirt Cori wore during the shoot appeared lit from within in the north light of the studio as she did pirouettes and arabesques. I believe this will provide drama with light showing through as the piece hangs in the gallery.

The main purpose was to have a piece that would be an example of the nature of my chosen surface. I also wanted to include a dancer in my "muse" series, what better theme than a dance version of the well known Puccini opera, "Madame Butterfly?"

Artistic video with music from the opera: