Butterfly

Red cedar, carved and painted by hand in the Northwest Coast formline tradition.

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Artist: Ross Henderson, Kwakwaka'wakw
Medium: Red cedar, carved and hand-painted
Form: Butterfly with open wings and antennae
Colour: Black, red and blue
Dimensions: On request
Provenance: Signed and dated by the artist. Direct from the studio.

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Signed and dated by Ross, with the story of the piece
Bought direct from the artist, never through a reseller
Carefully packed and shipped worldwide

The piece

A butterfly, drawn in formline.

Each wing is built from formline: eyes set in ovoids, the flowing black primary line holding the shape, red and blue filling the spaces between. The body runs down the centre as a single carved column.

Every line was drawn by hand before the first cut and painted with a fine brush after the last. The story of this Butterfly is Ross's to tell.

How Ross works

From the studio

Ross laying out formline on cedar — **01 · Drawing**The formline is set out on the cedar before a single cut.

Ross cutting cedar by hand — **02 · Carving**Cut by hand, the knife following the drawn line.

Ross painting red formline by hand — **03 · Painting**Painted by hand, one brushstroke at a time.

Ross shaping a cedar paddle in the studio — **04 · Shaping**The form is refined by hand, cut by cut, until it is right.

A film by Roam the Blue · 4 min

The story behind the art.

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