There is one object in this piece, the sun and butterfly motif. The sun is fierce, radiant, and immutable. While the butterfly is gentle, graceful, and under goes many transitions. Both hold powerful meanings on their own, but both are often underestimated. We overlook the sun’s consistency and the butterfly’s strength, even though they both represent powerful forms of life. The butterfly, to me, symbolizes true freedom. Moving through the world with grace, showing that peace can exist through every transition. It doesn’t rush. It doesn’t force. It just is.

The palette sits in direct contrast, blue and purple swirling against yellows and oranges. The motif itself is vibrant and almost glowing. It illuminates the calm background in the same way the sun rises and fills the sky or a butterfly floats along the highway and elates the rest of our morning. That contrast is important. I want to capture intensity, not chaos. This piece was inspired by my mother’s unrelenting perseverance, and I wanted to show how someone can be compassionate, yet still so powerful. She is my sun here, and my butterfly, too. 

Painting this work felt like meditation. It put me into a trance. There’s a breath built into the movement of the piece, YHWH. It mimics the calm of closing your eyes during Svasana and feeling the world move around you. This painting is a tribute to my mother, Dawn. She has always shown me that vulnerability can live beside strength. Her resilience flows through everything I create, but this piece is specifically for her. She moves through life with presence and power, even in the most difficult moments. She has reminded me, always, that I am already equipped with everything I need to face what’s coming next. Thank you Momma <3

I felt personally connected to the power behind this piece as I made it. There was an ancestral empowerment that rose within me while I painted. I could feel the love and the resonant spiritual energy from the women who came before me being poured their lives into their daughters. I hope this piece acts as a mirror. One that reflects your own power. Butterflies don’t arrive without transformation. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes surrender. But they emerge, whole and beautiful, on the other side of it. So can you.

Copyright 

All artwork, images, and related content are the exclusive copyright of Hannah Joycelyn Abrams. The purchase of an original piece or print does not transfer copyright ownership. No artwork or image may be reproduced, copied, resold, or used for any commercial purpose without the prior written permission of the artist.