Vernon artist makes fairytale art with butterfly wings from around the world

A Vernon artist is creating magic, whimsy and enchantment with butterfly wings sourced from around the world and original fairytale stories to go with them.

This month Amara Faunt recently opened her business House of Wings Collection and is already getting invited by vendors in Kamloops and the Okanagan to showcase her enchanting pieces.

“I’ve collected my own butterflies at markets and artisan shops or online for many years and decided to give it a shot making my own gallery because I have a passion for butterflies and bringing magic alive,” she said.

Faunt sources the butterflies from suppliers in the United States, India, Africa and South America who collect them from butterfly sanctuaries upon completing their life cycles. Getting them prepared to be placed in a frame takes roughly a week.

“They come folded and dried up and then I put them in a tub with wet napkins and wax paper for a few days to let them relax, open up and rehydrate,” she said. “After that I move into the pinning process where I lay them flat in the shape I want them to be in and they stay pinned for another three days.”

Faunt then puts the wings into frames, adding other pieces like crystals to enhance the artwork. Every butterfly comes with a creative, whimsical write-up, such as this one entitled The Keeper of Verdant Skies.

Long before the forest learned to breathe there was said to be a winged guardian who carried the sky within her wings. At her heart rested a stone of ancient seas, turquoise, the keeper of protection, truth and forgotten paths.

And wherever she drifted, she scattered fragments of living light, peridot, born of the earth’s fire, carrying growth, renewal and the quiet promise that life always returns. It is said that when these three are bound together, they do no simply exist…. They restore.

The young artist grew up in Alberta where she always felt a connection to butterflies and was drawn to their colours and symbolism of transformation.

“I recently moved to Vernon and that’s where I did most of my personal growth and I’m still constantly evolving,” she said. “I think everyone can connect to butterflies and that’s why I love them so much.”

Faunt is learning about different species of butterflies from certain rain forests in different countries. Some of them are rarer than others, and most are very showy.

“Here in Canada, we don’t really get to see all of these fun colourful ones, I want to bring people what they don’t see every day,” she said. “I love to see people smile at the colours and ask if its real. It’s hard to believe these are naturally made.”

The cost of the art pieces ranges from $40 to $220 depending on the rarity and shipping costs for each species. Faunt is writing out the stories for every creation to provide customers.

“The stories are a huge part in making the magic come alive, it’s important for what I’m trying to create,” she said. “I want adults to experience that fairytale magic we experienced growing up.”

Faunt will be a vendor at the Polson Night Market in Vernon all summer and at the Kamloops Gem Show in July. She was invited to be part of the Butterfly Run Okanagan event in Kelowna in October that raises money for people who have suffered from infertility, infant loss and miscarriages.

“I’ve had a lot of people reaching out asking me to be a vendor,” she said. “I didn’t know how well this would do but it’s really taking off.”

Go here to learn more about House of Wings Collection.