"Mourning Cloak Over Tickfaw" (2025)

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WiL Vélez, Mourning Cloak Over Tickfaw, 2025.

acrylic on cradled wood panel

24H x 17.88W x 1.5D in (60.96 x 45.17 x 3.81 cm) 

Mourning Cloak Over Tickfaw (2025) is the second completed painting in an ongoing series titled Winged Rivers, a concept that was originally developed in preparation for an exhibition in Covington, Louisiana.

In the initial piece, Queen Over Tchefuncte (2025), I aimed to represent the Tchefuncte River—which runs directly through Covington—in a unique and engaging way to capture the interest of local viewers. In this work, aerial views of the Tickfaw River have been integrated into the wing structures of Mourning Cloak butterflies. The result is an abstract fusion of natural elements, blending geography with the delicate symmetry of native pollinators.

Other works in the series continue this concept, pairing the Monarch with the Tangipahoa River and the Cloudless Sulphur with the Old Pearl River—furthering the poetic connection between Louisiana’s river systems and its native winged life.

This is a unique, original artwork. Its image, like all images on this website, is the copyright of ©️WiL Vélez. All rights reserved.