Friday, August 31, 2018

Botanical Fine Art Painting, Butterfly,Nature "PASSIONVINE & ZEBRA SWALLOWTAIL" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




Heliconius charitonius is common to Central and South America but also resides in southern Florida. It begins mating right after it emerges from its chrysalis. The female lays five to fifteen eggs on the leaves of passion flower vines. The caterpillar (depicted twice the size) has a white body with long black spines and a yellow/green head. It can go from egg to butterfly in a little over three weeks and continues this life cycle year round.The Passion flower depicted here is Passiflora incarnata, a species common to the southern USA. The Passion flower is named for the Passion of Christ on the cross. In the 15th century, Spanish Christian missionaries discovered it and adopted its unique structures as symbols of the Crucifixion. The 72 radial filaments (depicted 10 times actual size) represent the Crown of Thorns; the ten petals, the ten apostles; the top three stigmata, the three nails; and the lower five anthers, the five wounds.

18"x14" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$1500  Click HERE to purchase.

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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Botanical Fine Art Painting, ,Nature "MAGNOLIAS IN THE WIND" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




This original watercolor painting is done on Fabriano 300 lb Soft Press Paper. I have always loved magnolias. They are very short lived. They are the first "burst" of color in the spring. It seems like they bloom quickly and the petals can be seen dancing through the air.


14"x18" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$750  Click HERE to purchase.

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Monday, August 27, 2018

Botanical Fine Art Painting, Butterfly,Nature "PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe





The Pipeline Swallowtail got it's name from being dependent upon the native plant called the Dutchman's Pipevine. This painting was done after I visited a beautiful native preserve in New Hope Pennsylvania called Bowman Hill's Wildflower Preserve. I had been familiar with the pipevine plants of the tropics but didn't realize there was a native one in the Northeast. I was fascinated by this little tiny flower as all the tropical varieties were 4 to 5 times larger. The Pipevine Swallowtail lays its eggs on the leaves and the young caterpillars group together to look like one large scary caterpillar until they are big enough to wander off on their own. The caterpillars create a chrysalis similar to their tropical cousins by leaning off of a branch and securing themselves by a thin filament. The adults appear mostly black on the topside but when the sun hits them just right they shimmer iridescent blues. On the underside they have bright orange/red spots which make them look a bit scary as they flash color as they hover over flowers while feeding.

18"x14" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$1500  Click HERE to purchase.

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Friday, August 24, 2018

Botanical Fine Art Painting "RED PEONIES, ANTS AND A RED ADMIRAL" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




I love Peonies! Years ago I planted about a dozen or so of them in the fall in my garden. When spring came the following year I couldn't wait for the flowers to bloom. To my dismay I saw all the beautiful flower buds covered in ants. Drat! I thought they were going to eat the flowers and I would end up with just stems. I did some research to find out what kind of insecticide I should spray on the plants only to find that the flowers would not bloom without the ants! Really? Yes, really! The flower buds are covered in a sticky sugar which attracts the ants to the flower. The ants collect and "clean" off the sticky substance allowing the flower to bloom in all its' glory.  How cool is that! This is how this painting was born. The Ants go Marching!!!!

24"x20" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$2000  Click HERE to purchase.

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Monday, August 20, 2018

Illustrative Botanical Art,Butterfly, "MOSIAC BUTTERFLY ON HELICONIA" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe






I enjoy traveling to the tropics and Costa Rica has been a favorite destination for over 25 years. I am fascinated by the odd shaped flowers and dazzling colors. In this painting I decided to paint the Lobster Claw Heliconia with the Mosaic Butterfly resting on it. I really liked the neutral butterfly with the flaming red orange colors of the flower.


12"x10" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$125.00

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Friday, August 17, 2018

Illustrative Botanical Art,Watercolor, “Purple Iris Closeup” The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe


10"x10" Watercolor on Canvas/Available

$69.00

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Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Wildlife, Nature Art, Bird Painting “HONEY CREEPER” The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




This is an original colored pencil drawing on Frosted Mylar. The surface of the mylar created beautiful saturated color. This is a male Honey Creeper I saw while leading an art tour in Costa Rica. The legs are bright red and the bird is amazing electric blue and black with a bright green tuft on the top of his head. Truly a dazzling bird! 


10"x8" Colored Pencil on Paper/Available

$50.00

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Monday, August 13, 2018

Insect, Nature Art, “GOLIATH BEETLE” The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe




This piece is done on double frosted mylar with colored pencil. The backgrounds are created with decorative papers.

10"x8" Colored Pencil Paper/Available

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Friday, August 10, 2018

Caterpillar, Nature, Illustrative Art, Insects, Wildlife "HICKORY HORNED DEVIL" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe



This listing is for the original watercolor and gouache painting. The Hickory Horned Devil is the caterpillar for the Royal Walnut Moth. The crazy spikes that come out of the body ward off potential predators. They are one of the largest caterpillars I have ever raised. They can reach up 8 inches long!!! Yikes!

8"x11" Mixed Media on Paper

$125

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Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Caterpillar, Nature, Illustrative Art, Insects, Wildlife "LUNA MOTH CATERPILLAR" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe



I really enjoy raising moths and butterflies from caterpillars. This Luna Moth Caterpillar was one I raised from an egg. The Luna Moth is part of the Saturniid or Giant Silk Moth family and is native to the USA. One of their host plants is Liquid amber or the SweetGum tree. As caterpillars they are voracious eaters. As adults they come out of their cocoons and do not have a mouth. Their sole purpose as an adult is to find a mate and reproduce. The adults only live 7-14 days.
This listing is for the original painting and is unframed.


8.5"x11" Mixed Media on Paper

$125

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Monday, August 6, 2018

Insect, Nature Art, “FIERY RED BEETLE" The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe





This watercolor is of an "unknown" Beetle. I believe it is a "Flower" Beetle due to its shape. What really attracted me to it was the brilliant  iridescent red and orange colors.   It was challenging and fun to paint. 

10"x8" Watercolor on Paper/Available

$50.00

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Friday, August 3, 2018

Printmaking on Paper, Original Art “Tortoise Beetle 2” The Art of Nature, Fine Art by Mindy Lighthipe



4.5"x4.5" Printmaking on Paper

$145.00

Click HERE to purchase or for details about this painting.

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