Pastel Secrets
This image features an abstract design with a central butterfly, surrounded by geometric patterns and vibrant floral elements. The harmonious blend of shapes and colors creates a captivating visual experience, showcasing a fusion of modern artistic style and nature-inspired motifs.
NOTE: This artwork is for sale on Zazzle.ca.
From the Artist:
I call my dad a selective believer. He never put stock in ghosts, spirits, or the supernatural. But he did believe that souls return to visit the living—just not in the ways we might expect.
Back in my hometown, before the land was passed to a relative, we had a sprawling garden filled with trees, bushes, and flowers. My favorite was an Atis-Sampaguita tree—a tree that technically shouldn’t exist.
It was a happy accident, the result of my grandmother planting a sampaguita bush beside an atis tree. Over time, the bush wrapped itself around the tree, their branches and vines intertwining so completely that they became one. It was beautiful—fruit-bearing yet fragrant, sturdy yet delicate, a perfect blend of nature’s contrast.
It was on this tree that a rare visitor would appear from time to time. In those days, before the city was swallowed by pollution, dragonflies and butterflies were common in our garden. But this visitor was different.
A Mariposa.
In Spanish, mariposa simply means butterfly. But this one wasn’t ordinary—it was one of the rare, giant ones, its wingspan larger than my mother’s hands. It would always land on our Atis-Sampaguita Tree, lingering for a few minutes as if observing us, before fluttering away.
Whenever it appeared, my dad would say, “That’s your great-grandfather visiting us.” When my grandfather passed, my dad said the same thing: “Look, it’s Grandpa.”
To some, this belief might seem strange. But to me, it’s mysterious and beautiful. The idea that our loved ones return, not as ghosts, but as quiet visitors in the natural world—a butterfly, a bird, a shift in the wind—feels more comforting than any ghost story ever could.
It’s been years since I last saw a Mariposa like that. But I still look for one, hoping that, one day, I’ll spot those familiar, sweeping wings and know—someone is checking in on me.
This artwork captures that quiet sense of wonder—a central butterfly, surrounded by geometric patterns and delicate floral elements. The interplay of vibrant colors and organic shapes evokes both modern artistic expression and the timeless beauty of nature’s mysteries. A fusion of memory, art, and quiet longing.
