The composition radiates from a central point, dominated by a stylized sun or sunrise in brilliant yellow and orange. A powerful burst of sunshine in intense magenta and red forms the backdrop. The birds themselves are rendered in shades of violet and deep blue, their mirrored forms creating a sense of balance and intense symmetry.

The artwork evokes themes of celebration, renewal, and perhaps resurrection through the recurring motif of the sun’s brilliance and the energetic pose of the dancing birds. The bold, saturated colors and distinct graphic style make for an immediately arresting image.

The composition features a strikingly colored hooded crow perched on a sweeping, luminous rainbow. The bird’s plumage shifts from deep indigo and purple to lighter lavender on its head and neck, contrasting sharply with the somber gray sky in the background. The crow appears to be mid-call, with the rainbow emanating from its beak, symbolizing a burst of hope and color against a challenging atmosphere.

Above and around the crow are turbulent clouds in a muted purple-pink and sharp, white lightning bolts (or arrows) that crisscross the sky. These elements suggest difficulty and change, emphasizing themes of perseverance and finding light, or hope, amidst adversity. The bold colors and energetic lines create a dynamic, modern take on a mythological or allegorical image, turning the common bird into a powerful icon.

The prominent magpie holds a small, antique key in its beak, symbolizing insight, hidden knowledge, or the unlocking of a mystery. Magpies, often seen as clever messengers in folklore, here evoke a sense of divine connection and the journey toward enlightenment. The dynamic color palette and symbolic imagery create an arresting, almost mythical atmosphere. The use of sharp colored pencils juxtaposed with the smooth acrylics adds textural depth to these majestic birds.

It’s a powerful and symbolic representation of finding the key to higher understanding.

A majestic jay dominates the composition, depicted with a pink body and striking blue and purple wings and tail, soaring against a mystical night sky. The bird’s intense gaze and the luminous moon it holds in its beak symbolize intelligence, intellect, and focus. Above, stars and crescent moons twinkle in the deep blue backdrop, enhancing the sense of wit and nocturnal power. Below, richly textured green and dark blue foliage with outline details of leaves and nuts anchors the scene in the natural world. The dramatic composition captures the bird in powerful flight, blending the themes of natural prowess with intellectual light.

Against a deep, midnight blue sky, two brightly colored Great Tits face each other over a massive, brilliant yellow sunflower. The birds are poised almost for a kiss, yet the intensity in their gaze hints at rivalization or a playful standoff.

The composition is split between the warm, dominant yellow of the sunflower and the cool blue of the night sky, punctuated by the glowing yellow sun (or moon) and wispy clouds. The textures, created through a combination of paint and pencil, give the work a folk-art feel, celebrating the vivid colors and energy of nature, birds, and the peak of sun-drenched summer days. It captures a moment of dynamic stillness, combining elements of the daytime (sunflower, yellow) with the night (blue sky, full orb) in a charming, evocative scene.

The central subject is a swan, shown in shades of pink and fuchsia. Its large wings are detailed with layers of pink and white, suggesting flight. The swan’s neck is curved, and it has a white head and an orange beak. It wears a red collar with a small charm, adding a surreal touch to the animal.

The background is split between the sky and the water. Above, the night sky is purple and violet, speckled with stars and dominated by a pale blue moon. Below, the sea or water is depicted with lines of bright blue and turquoise. Floating on the waves are three large, fan-shaped seashells in a light blue color.

In the lower left, a small, orange sun suggests a sunset, counterbalancing the moon above. This blending of elements — the bird, the moon, the sun, and the sea — creates a piece that is rich in symbolism and imagination.

The upper portion features a striking, deep blue male bird perched on a cherry bush or tree branch, his yellow beak open in song or perhaps a warning. The female, a warm, mottled orange and brown, stands firmly on the grass below. Both animals are depicted with a determined intensity as they guard or gather the bright cherries clustered on the leaves and branches overhead. The ripe, deep pink cherries provide a sharp contrast to the surrounding color palette.

The background is a symphony of cool green and turquoise tones, creating a stylized, textured environment of grass and undergrowth. It is a powerful and celebratory depiction of birds as parents and the abundance of summer.

A solar aura radiates from the bird’s head, symbolizing an epiphany of pure joy. This energy bursts forth against a vibrant magenta background filled with heart motifs, openly celebrating the theme of love. Clutching a sprig of mistletoe — a classic symbol of peace and love — the pigeon becomes a powerful messenger. The contrast between the cool grey of the bird and the warm magenta creates a captivating visual tension, with fine pencil work adding texture and depth.

This artwork elevates a common bird into a potent symbol of power, soaring energy, and profound love. It is an invitation to discover revelation and deep emotion in the everyday.

The golden hues of the wrapper gleam with an almost regal opulence, evoking the allure of luxury and indulgence. However, this artificial butterfly, Aurum Sanguineum — a fictitious Latin name meaning “Bloody Gold” — carries an ominous undertone. The crumpled foil, though shaped like wings, is lifeless, stiff, and incapable of flight. It symbolizes the way consumer products tempt us with their glittering facades, offering instant gratification but leaving behind something empty, discarded, and enduring in its environmental impact.

The positioning suggests a hierarchy — while the moths remain above, the golden imposter dominates the lower half of the painting, asserting itself with its bold, metallic sheen. It is as if the artificial is rising to overtake the natural, an unspoken warning about the direction of human consumption.
The synthetic butterfly is the most striking, drawing attention to the way modern culture elevates artificial pleasures over the quiet marvels of the natural world. The golden wrapper, with its crinkled folds, hints at both luxury and wastefulness, inviting viewers to reflect on the contradictions within consumer habits — how something can be designed to entice, only to be discarded moments later.

Aurum Sanguineum compels us to examine our relationship with beauty, excess, and the consequences of fleeting indulgence. How often do we chase after what dazzles, only to leave behind what truly matters?

At the top of the composition, a butterfly emerges, but unlike its natural counterparts, it is not made of delicate wings. Instead, it is crafted from the crumpled wrapper of a Skittles candy packet. The bright, artificial hues of blue, red, yellow, and orange, combined with the glossy, plastic-like texture, stand in stark opposition to the three natural butterflies below. These real specimens — Aglais io (the peacock butterfly), Vanessa cardui (the painted lady), and Vanessa atalanta (the red admiral) — are rendered in rich, earthy tones of brown, orange, and muted gold.

The synthetic butterfly dominates the arrangement, positioned above the real ones, almost as if asserting its superiority. It is a fleeting beauty — iridescent and seductive — but ultimately lifeless and disposable. The real butterflies seem overshadowed, threatened by the artificial invader.

Through this composition, the artist critiques the throwaway culture of modern consumption. The Skittles wrapper represents mass-produced pleasure, designed to dazzle with color and promise sweetness, but offering nothing of lasting value. Once the candy is consumed, its remnants become waste, lingering in the environment long after the brief moment of enjoyment has passed.

By placing the artificial butterfly in a position of prominence, Irides mortiferum questions our values: Have we come to prize what is synthetic over what is real? Do we allow the fleeting allure of consumer goods to overshadow the beauty of the natural world? The painting serves as both a warning and a meditation on the delicate balance between indulgence and responsibility.

Below this artificial butterfly, a real one — the pale yellow Brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni)— rests quietly, pinned as though part of a collector’s display. The piece recalls the practice of butterfly collecting, where specimens are caught, killed, and meticulously displayed in glass cases. However, in this case, the towering paper butterfly is not the one that has perished — it is the predator, the corrupter. Its wings, fashioned from a symbol of mass-produced indulgence, hint at the fleeting pleasure of consumer goods, which tempt us from store shelves, offering sweetness and comfort. But once consumed, the remnants — the wrappers — lose all value and are discarded, often left to pollute nature.

The title inscribed beneath the artificial butterfly, Largitas eversor — a fictitious Latin name — translates roughly to “Abundance Destroyer.” This name plays on the dual nature of the object: the packaging represents indulgence, comfort, and instant gratification, yet once discarded, it becomes waste — permanent, non-biodegradable, and harmful to the environment. Rendered in oil on canvas — a medium historically associated with classical beauty and permanence — the painting elevates a mundane object, turning it into a symbol of excess and destruction. The deep, dark background isolates the subjects, heightening their presence and giving them an almost sacred aura.

Through this fusion of hyperrealism, surrealism, and environmental commentary, the artist transforms a simple candy wrapper into a powerful metaphor for the dangers of mass consumption.

Artwork description: This is a very serious work of art, contrary to appearances, contrary to the impression created by the blaze of colors. It is the Afu!-neral Wreath, or the Wreath of Life, the Wreath of Rebirth. It is a symbol of growth and development, juicy and lush, like in the Garden of Eden. The wreath is woven with lyrics from the 1986 song “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths. As some say, it is a song about love that allows you to live despite the gray brutality of life. As others say, it is a text about the desire for suicide, which does not come to fruition, because in the face of absolute love, life ceases to matter. So it can last, in its imperfection, because love fills it with beauty, happiness, joy, like flowers filling this wreath with a wealth of forms and colors.

The atmosphere is sultry, alive with the feeling of an evening walk by the river—where the world softens under the weight of a warm, lingering dusk. The bouquet, the heart of the painting, rises in the center in a blue vase. On its surface, the pink text catches the eye, the words “strawberries” and “belly”:

“strawberries on the summer evening,
baby you’re the end of June,
I want your belly
and that summer feeling.”

These words seem to hum in the air, seductive and sweet, the lyrics of Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” encapsulating the mood of sun-dappled afternoons and balmy nights.

This is a painting that celebrates the bliss of summer—the heady sweetness of fruit on your lips, the carefree joy of walking barefoot with friends, the simple, radiant pleasure of being alive and in love with the season. Every detail sings of freedom, of lightness, and of the summer romance that lingers like the last golden rays of the day.