Transverse Ladybird Beetle

One of a series contrasting a coloured realistic appearing insect in my “Impressionist Sculptured Paper” style, leaving as much evidence as possible of the medium’s paper nature, against a semi-abstract setting made only of natural paper colours.A Ladybird beetle deserved inclusion in this series as one of the most widely loved of all insects. Finding them delights both children and adults, and is even considered a sign of luck in some cultures. Yet, they aren’t just endearing colourful little beetles. For all their tiny size, both as larvae and adults, they are mighty predators of pests like aphids, mites and caterpillars, and therefore a significant benefit to gardeners and farmers alike.I chose the Transverse Ladybird beetle, Coccinella transversalis because it is one of the most common Ladybird Beetles along Australia’s east and a welcomed visitor to our Eastern Dandenong Ranges garden. Sculptured from Tasmanian Creative Papers 180gsm cold pressed recycled cotton rag paper for the body. Background leaf blades are from German Hahnemühle cold pressed 300gsm art paper. Mounted on French Arches 300gsm new cotton hot-pressed art paper. Archival ink tinted colouring. Framed in Tasmanian Hardwood timber with chalk lime wash finish complementing the papers. Acrylic glazing.