Cabbage White

Description

Garden Butterflies

Our Sheffield garden attracts a variety of butterflies throughout the summer months. Cabbage whites are common visitors – often dismissed as pests by vegetable growers, but they’re actually beautiful insects when you take the time to observe them properly.

This particular butterfly landed on a flower on a summer afternoon, and the sun was positioned perfectly behind it. The backlighting turned the wings translucent, revealing the delicate structure and creating an unexpected visual effect: you could see the shadow of the butterfly’s body through the surface of the front wing. It was only there for a few minutes, but I managed to capture the photograph I needed.

First Time on Aluminium

This was my first painting on an aluminium panel rather than my usual Ampersand Gessobord. I chose a 5×5 inch size to experiment with this new surface.

Working in my Sheffield home studio, I completed this piece in a single painting session using oils. The aluminium panel presented an interesting challenge – it has a much smoother surface than gessobord, so the paint slides around considerably more. This required adjustments to my brush control and painting technique throughout the session.

The main artistic challenge was capturing that translucent quality of the backlit wings. I wanted to show how the light passed through the wing material while still maintaining the structure and detail of the wing patterns. The shadow of the body visible through the front wing was the key detail that made this reference worth painting.

Framed or Unframed

Choose the framed option and it arrives ready to hang. The frame is natural ayous, a pale, lightweight hardwood, with a 7mm face and 21mm depth. The panel sits inside it with a 5mm gap all round, so the painted edge of the panel stays visible and the picture appears to float inside the frame rather than sitting against it. A flush mount is already fitted to the back for hanging.

If you would rather choose your own frame, you can buy it unframed. For advice please refer to How to Frame a Painting on a Panel.

Original Artwork Details

Specifications:

• Medium: Oil on aluminium panel
• Size: 5 × 5 inches (~ 13 × 13 cm)
• Depth: 0.3 cm (~ 1/8 inch)
• Available framed or unframed
• Framed size: approximately 15.1 × 15.1 cm (~ 6 × 6 inches)
• Frame: natural ayous, 7mm face, 21mm depth, 5mm float gap, flush mount fitted
• Year: 2025
• Signed on reverse

Shipping & Care

Your painting will be carefully packaged with protective materials and shipped via Royal Mail within 3-5 business days. The panel is robust and archival – oil paintings on panel have been proven to last for centuries when properly cared for. Display away from direct sunlight and extreme humidity for best longevity.