The Sun is shining, its a beautiful day and I have good things to report & not all of it related to Butterfly Art.

HEALTH
On the health front I’ve suffered from arthritis for some time and recently discovered a fantastic anti-inflammatory tea mix. It’s completely natural and since I’ve been taking it the pain of arthritis and my sore shoulder are much improved. I buy this tea from Spice Way in Radlett and highly recommend it for inflammation. This is what it looks like and whilst not cheap, IT WORKS!

BUTTERFLY ART
I spent all of yesterday tidying my studio and am very happy now that it’s in order. I can find what I’m looking for without spending half an hour searching through a mess. I feel so much better walking into a clean and clear space which I’m hoping it will reflect a clean and clear approach to my work. Moving on to my work, I’m happy to announce that I’ve been extremely busy over the last month. Orders have been coming in for commissions through my network of art galleries who represent me. My website has also attracted new clientele which has generated sales too. This is all very positive and I’ve decided to take on an assistant through the governments Kickstart scheme. For at least six months, I will employ and train a young person to help me with production and design and hope the appointment will speed up the process of getting my work into the public domain much more rapidly. At present I’m head cook and bottle washer which results on my efforts being spread very thin on many fronts. An assistant will definitely improve the situation and as a bonus, the government is funding the first six months salary.

A commission in the process of creation.

MARTHA
I’ve mentioned my lovely dog Martha in the past who continues to be a joy. She gets me out and about and it’s so wondrous to see her leaping through forests and meadows when we go walking.

HOLIDAYS
I’m going to Greece for a couple of weeks mid August. Naturally, I am really looking forward to it and even though Greece is on the amber list, I’ve had both my vaccinations. I’m hoping that nothing will happen between now and then to spoil the rest I really need. Have a lovely summer everybody.

This unique piece comprises a riot of blue/turquoise & peach feather butterflies set on a ‘floating’ white centre panel. The panel is 160cmx40cm inside a clear acrylic box which is 180x60cm.The beauty of work speaks for itself and has been previously hung in a high-end property. Along the way, It’s picked up one or two minor marks on the case which are too small to photograph. Due to the nature of this slightly less than perfect work, it is for sale at a considerably lower price than the £6000 it would normally be sold at. You’ll be hard-pressed to notice the faults if they weren’t pointed out to you. However, as such, it can’t be sold as a perfect item. Please direct any enquries to me at michael.olsen@butterflyart.co.uk

Hi all, the end is nigh and hopefully that’s good news for us all, and not the end of the world!

There’s definitely a positive vibe in the air and even a little healing sunshine. I hope you share my enthusiasm for what hopefully will put an end to this dreadful past 12 months.
I’m certainly enthusiastic and looking forward to freedom, creativity and going out for a meal at the very least.

Creatively, I’ve been fairly busy which has conspired to keep me sane as well as keep my little business going. Once galleries re-open I’m looking forward to a busier time.

By way of a change I thought I’d show you behind the scenes of one of my works. You’ve seen Blue Man II in the past and the image below illustrates my new method of fixing the butterflies into the panel so that they don’t drop out in transit. What you see is a series of tiny metal bullets that are hot glued into the panel with the butterfly wires then glued through the bullets into place. “Escaping butterflies” have been a problem over the years and it’s taken me ages to develop a methodology for fixing the butterflies permanently. I hope I have it cracked now although it’s much more time consuming. To my eyes the back looks like a work of art in itself and I just thought I’d share it with you.

Martha my beloved Cockerpoo cut her paw a month ago and he’s only just starting to exercise again. She’s like a coiled spring and the joy of watching her run free at last is immeasurable.

Until the next time.

Wishing all of my readers a healthy, happy and prosperous year to come. My wishes to you are in order of their importance to me, health being the river from which flow all the other positives. Without good health there’s nothing.

Surprisingly and despite restrictions in the ability of art galleries to operate, there’s been good butterfly art activity over the last couple of months.

At this moment it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel but my glass being half full keeps me positive, determined & focussed. I’m filling much of my time creating new works so that when we finally get back on an even keel, I will have a collection of exciting designs and projects to whet the appetite of buyers all over the world. I’m not being grandiose mentioning the world because as I write, I’m preparing ‘Blue man III’  who will be shipped to New York in a couple of weeks.

Not quite New York, but Bromley in Kent see’s the arrival of a beautiful work of mine below. It is 2m long and is located in the kitchen of a very happy client.

Whilst not a new years resolution, its my aim to improve the quality of my photography in the year to come. The highly reflective nature of acrylic surfaces make capturing the beauty and colours of my work a challenge. However I’m slowly getting to grips with lighting and ways to improve the image quality and how my work is portrayed on my website.

Finally, I welcome Westover Gallery Bournemouth to my select list of gallery partners. We’re both hoping for great things once all galleries are permitted to re-open. Here’s a link to my page https://www.westovergallery.co.uk/search?s=michael+olsen

Till the next time