"Queen Over Tchefuncte" (2025)

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WiL Vélez, Queen Over Tchefuncte , 2025.

acrylic on cradled wood panel

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

Queen Over Tchefuncte (2025) is the first completed painting in an ongoing series titled Winged Rivers, a concept that was developed in preparation for an exhibition in Covington, Louisiana. I wanted 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 piece, an aerial view of the Tchefuncte has been flipped and reversed, then integrated into the wing structures of brilliantly orange Queen butterflies. The result is an abstract fusion of natural elements, blending geography with the delicate symmetry of native pollinators.

Future works in the series will continue this concept, pairing the Mourning Cloak butterfly with the Tickfaw River, and the Monarch with the Tangipahoa 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.