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Pomegranates, Walnuts, and a Birding Swallowtail: Finishing My Swallowtail Butterfly Painting Series

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , ,

oil on copper, 4.5 x 5.5

Making oil paintings is slow, thoughtful work. Before my brush ever touches a copper panel, the process involves weeks of gathering inspiration, researching, photographing references, creating digital mock-ups, and preparing my surface.

In an age of instant AI-generated artwork, I see the value in slowing down. Painters have faced similar upheavals since the invention of photography—and yet painting endures. I believe there’s a reason: nothing replaces the depth and intimacy of handmade art.

pomegranate walnuts and butterfly still life oil painting by Rebecca Luncan in progress

A Series Two Years in the Making

This month marks a milestone: the twelfth and final piece in my Swallowtail Butterfly Painting Series. Over the past two years, my “monthly” miniatures have been more “bi-monthly” miniatures as I navigate life with a new member of the family. Even with all the chaos of going through pregenancy and having a demanding infant I’m the primary caregiver for, I’ve somehow completed one painting after another, each pairing a swallowtail species with unique botanical elements. This final work celebrates not just the butterfly but the joy of slow, intentional living.

Slow Food, Slow Art

To highlight that theme, I included two of my favorite “slow foods”: pomegranates and walnuts. Sure, you can buy them prepped and packaged. But if you’ve ever cracked a walnut or dug out the seeds from a pomegranate, you know the quiet satisfaction that comes from doing it yourself.

The same can be said for painting. My work takes time—and that time adds flavor.

Featuring the Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing

still life oill painitng pomegranate walnuts and birdwing swallowtail butterfly framed by Rebecca Luncan

This painting features a male Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing butterfly, part of the Papilionidae family (which includes all swallowtails). These dazzling creatures are native to rainforests across Southeast Asia and have a wingspan of up to 6.5 inches. Their vivid green-and-black coloring makes them look like flying stained glass. In fact, they’re so large they’re often mistaken for birds—hence the name “birdwing.”

What Comes After the Swallowtails?

The past year brought big changes—especially having a one-year-old at home. Time for painting has been more limited, and I’ve learned to be gentle with myself and realistic with my goals.

So instead of monthly miniatures, my next project will ofically unfold as bi-monthly miniature paintings throughout 2025 and 2026. I’ve been deep in the planning stage—sketching, researching, and refining ideas—and I’m almost ready to begin.

Thank you for following along on this journey. I hope you’ll continue with me as the next series takes flight.

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Pears and the Emerald Swallowtail

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , , , ,

This month’s monthly miniature marks the welcome return of my pear harvest—and the chance to feature one of my favorite fruits in a painting once again. For years, our tree produced more pears than we knew what to do with, sometimes into the thousands. But after several seasons of low yields, I was thrilled to gather around 200 this fall. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend.

I originally planned to paint a western tiger swallowtail I spotted on a fallen pear in the garden, but as I started working on the composition, I swapped it for an emerald swallowtail. The striking green tones of the emerald suited the palette I had in mind, allowing for a nearly monochromatic background with subtle hits of red and orange. Though the butterfly is native to Southeast Asia, but it’s a popular species in butterfly houses around the world so you may have seen them anywhere you call home.

A Shift in Mood

Pears and Peacock Swallowtail Butterfly still life fruit oil painting by Rebecca Luncan

The creative process behind this piece took an unusual turn for me. I began with a pale cream background—an approach more reminiscent of the sparse still lifes of Jan van Kessel. But halfway through painting, I realized it wasn’t offering the mood I was after. So, I made a rare decision to change direction. I repainted the background dark and added a stone table inspired directly by one of Adriaen Coorte’s compositions. The result is a richer, moodier setting that feels more grounded and contemplative.

This kind of mid-course correction is rare in my practice—because my paintings are so detailed, I typically finalize the composition before I begin painting. But in this case, the shift felt essential.

In progress, Pears and Peacock Swallowtail Butterfly still life fruit oil painting by Rebecca Luncan

From the Studio

Getting this piece finished in time was no small feat. My youngest is starting to walk, we just wrapped up my show at Harris Harvey Gallery, and our home is in full project mode. Life feels full to the brim—but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 💚

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Back in the Studio

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , ,

After a brief hiatus to welcome our newest family member, I’m thrilled to be painting again. I had optimistically hoped for pockets of studio time during those first three months with Elliot, but between the sleepless nights and an unfinished kitchen remodel, painting just wasn’t in the cards. These days, I paint when the baby nap and I’m reminded how good it feels to be back at the easel.

A Remarkable Discovery

This new piece features the Fiji Papilio swallowtail, a butterfly with a story as striking as its wings. Native to the island of Vanua Levu, this brilliantly patterned butterfly somehow managed to escape scientific recognition until just a few years ago—a fact that still astonishes researchers.

The butterfly was first photographed in 2017 by ornithologist Gregg Kerr, who was in Fiji as an instructor with Operation Wallacea, a foundation that supports student-led scientific expeditions. Though birds were his focus, Kerr noticed and documented a butterfly so unusual that when he shared the images, some experts suspected a hoax.

Naming the Natewa Swallowtail

The mystery caught the attention of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, which dispatched entomologists John Tennent and Richard Markham to investigate. Their fieldwork led to the formal identification and classification of the new species, which they named the Natewa Swallowtail.

Though Tennent has described over 100 new species and subspecies of butterflies in his career, he called this one “easily the most spectacular.” As he put it, “For such an unusual and large new butterfly to be discovered somewhere we thought was so well known is remarkable.”

Fiji Papilio swallowtail still life painting with plums and raspberries by Rebecca Luncan

Painting the Wonder

It’s always a privilege to paint something with such natural beauty—and even more so when its backstory is filled with wonder. This swallowtail is a reminder of how there are still remarkable discoveries to be made, waiting just off the path.

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Emperor of India, Painting of a Butterfly

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , , , ,

Emperor of India

When I started my monthly miniature Swallowtail series, I warned you that they come in many sizes and shapes, but this one is quite exceptional. The Teinopalpus imperialis is a rare species which can be found fluttering in patches across the Himalayas, through Nepal and north India all the way east to north Vietnam. That’s far from home for me, but part of the fun of this series is to use all of the many tools available to me to stretch my imagination across the globe, even if visiting the Himalayas physically is impossible for me right now.

My Emperor of India is portrayed as more of a natural history specimen than as a creature that just settled down for a nibble or a rest. He is also displayed in verso, with his tummy face up (see his little feet?) so that the most vibrant coloration of his wings are in full view. I went for a full-on manuscript-inspired composition with the addition of a golden arch around this butterfly. My inspiration was Joris Hoefnagel, one of the early pioneers in still life paintings and the study of insects. It’s easy to see how still life paintings caught on with such fervor when viewing his iconic masterpieces created in the 1500’s. 

I love how my monthly miniature series gives me so much freedom to experiment while staying within the boundaries of just a few simple ideas. Within the concept of “swallowtail butterflies,” I experiment with compositional ideas within the same general theme and format. Looking back over all the paintings I completed over the year, I get ideas and inspiration for the next series of paintings. I also get ideas for works I exhibit in galleries. 

On a personal note…

Hope you’re doing well and I please wish me luck for the next couple of weeks! Baby is due in a week and we don’t have anything ready! We almost have a countertop in the kitchen so fingers crossed it’s not still a complete madhouse when the baby gets here. As you can imagine, I’m exhausted! I have a set up to put my feet up while I’m painting, which means studio-time is also “resting-time”. I’ve thankfully been able to get a little painting done and I’m saving most of the the kitchen construction for my wonderful husband, friends and family.

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Forget Me Not: Honoring Still Life Traditions in a Miniature

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Forget Me Not, oil on copper, 4.5″ x 5.5″, is the newest addition to my Swallowtail Series—a body of miniature still life paintings inspired by centuries of natural observation and artistic devotion.

This piece is an homage to two 17th-century painters I admire deeply: Jan van Kessel the Elder and Margaretha de Heer. Though I’ve long been a fan of van Kessel’s work, I only recently discovered de Heer. This painting is a celebration of their shared legacy—and a reflection on the way artists learn through looking, studying, and paying tribute.

Two Artists, One Era: Shared Roots in Still Life

Jan van Kessel and Margaretha de Heer were born roughly 20 years apart and just a few hundred miles from each other—van Kessel in Antwerp, Belgium, and de Heer in Friesland, in what is now the Netherlands. Both were born into artist families, and both became known for their vivid depictions of the natural world.

While each created genre scenes and other subjects, it’s their still life work that has most captivated me. Their paintings, often categorized as nature studies, depict insects, flowers, fruits, and other organic forms with striking clarity.

Stylistic Differences: Density vs. Balance

Jan van Kessel the Elde, via Wikimedia Commonsr, Public Domain
By Margareta de Heer – scanned from book by Laurens J. Bol, “Bekoring van het kleine”, plate 7, Public Domain

Van Kessel’s work bursts with detail—his compositions packed edge-to-edge with butterflies, beetles, shells, and blossoms. The perspective often shifts, with elements floating freely or perched on undefined surfaces. You get the sense that couldn’t bear to leave any space unused. There’s a beauty in the chaos, and despite the density, his compositions achieve a remarkable balance. The irregular perspectives feel surprisingly contemporary, not disruptive—just part of the visual rhythm.

De Heer’s paintings, while similar in subject matter, evoke a different tone. Her compositions are more spacious and deliberate. She embraces negative space, organizing her elements with a grounded sense of perspective and a graceful visual flow. Her approach feels more lyrical than scientific—a quiet reflection on the beauty of nature rather than a full catalogue of it.

The Butterfly: A Marvel from Central Africa

The butterfly in Forget Me Not is a Blue-banded Swallowtail (Papilio nireus), a striking species native to central and southern Africa. With velvet-black wings and bold, iridescent blue bands, this butterfly commands attention. Though it lacks the tail streamers typical of many swallowtails, it does belong to the Papilionidae (often refered to as Swallowtail) family and is admired for its swift flight and elegance.

in progress Forget Me Not miniature painting, still life representational oil painting with butterfly, grasshopper and bee by Rebecca Luncan

Finding My Place in the Tradition

One of the great joys of working in the still life tradition is learning from the artists who came before me. By studying and incorporating their approaches, I find new ways to think about composition, subject matter, and symbolism. Forget Me Not is undeniably informed by van Kessel and de Heer, but it’s also undeniably mine. It’s a meditation on legacy, observation, and the quiet power of paying attention.

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Strawberry still life painting for June Monthly Miniature

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

I have a quarter acre garden, and strawberries are one of my top crops. This month’s strawberry still life painting features my June Bearers (one of two types of strawberries). At the height of my amateur gardening career (before having my son), I picked three quarts every day for a month! If you knew me then, you ate my strawberries.

Now that Isaac is three, I have more time to spend in the garden. The strawberries are slowly making a comeback after some intensive weeding (come by if you want some!). I wanted this painting to be a bit of an overload of warm colors, with slight touches of green. Pairing strawberries with this Japanese bowl from the SAM collection and a Painted Lady Butterfly did the trick.

This bowl is perfect, not only for its colors, but also because the imagery is relevant for this series. The bowl was made around the same time as the famous Dutch still life paintings that inspired the In Season Monthly Miniatures, and the Japanese artist has depicted European traders, very likely Dutch. The figures are as exotic to me as they likely were to the artists who first painted them.

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Detail of Miniature oil painting of strawberries and Japanese porcelain on copper by Rebecca Luncan, 5" x 5"

Read the text by SAM’s former Curator of Asian Art, Yukiko Shirahara, to learning more about the porcelain bowl:

“Southern Europeans, primarily Portuguese and Spanish, arrived in Japan in the 16th century. The Japanese called them nanban, or “southern barbarians,” because they came through a maritime route from the south. The term nanban, however, was used to refer to almost anything foreign in 16th- and 17th-century Japan. Images of Europeans proliferated in response to the curiosity of all things foreign, and became common motifs to adorn ceramic wares such as these bowls.

European figures were popular motifs in Japanese art during the Edo period, particularly representations of the Dutch (called komo: “red-haired people”) because of their direct contact with Japan through trade during a time of national isolation. It was the Dutch East India Company that exported Japanese products, including Imari porcelain, to Europe. Dutch motifs were favored not only for exports but also for the domestic market, to satisfy the Japanese taste for exoticism and curiosity about Western culture. The familiar design of “five-ships,” depicting five Dutch vessels with Dutch figures, is the best example of the popular theme, which appeared from the eighteenth century onward.”

Detail of Miniature oil painting of strawberries and Japanese porcelain on copper by Rebecca Luncan, 5" x 5"

Detail of Miniature oil painting of painted lady butterfly on copper by Rebecca Luncan, 5" x 5"

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Miniature oil painting of Birds of the Pacific Northwest

by In Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

For the Month of May, I’ve made a still life painting of birds of the Pacific Northwest. I’m paying tribute to the painter George Flegel. He was born in what is modern day Czech Republic and did his training in Austria and Germany but ended up in Holland in the early 1600’s. His strange compositions, bursting with life are a study of technical perfection. I love how he incorporates birds in his still life’s in such a natural way. Between looking at his paintings, spending more time out in the yard, working on chicken paintings for a show in August, AND having a Stellar’s Jay nest in the eaves right outside my bedroom window, birds have been on my mind lately.

George Flegel, Still Life of Birds and Insects 1637

Georg Flegel, Still Life of Birds and Insects 1637

I’ve made a painting that is heavily inspired by one of his most unusual composition filled with birds and insects. I’ve chosen birds and insects that can be found in my backyard in the Seattle area. My dad always knew what birds were in the yard when we lived in the farmhouse in Ohio. I never studied them enough to be encyclopedic about the different species like he was and I had trouble identifying the different little brown ones. My friend, Chris Keenan (who also helped identify the nest in last months painting) helped me figure out more species than could possibly fit into one painting. I did my best, though!

In this Months Painting:

I have 8 birds in the 5″ x 5″ painting; American Crow, American Robin, Anna’s Hummingbird, Dark-Eyed Junko (Oregon), Northern Flicker, Plaited Woodpecker, Red-Breasted Nuthatch and a Stellar’s Jay. Insects are: Darkling Beetle, Painted Lady Cocoon and Butterfly (did you find the Caterpillar in last months painting? They transformed!), Grasshopper, and a Pholcid House Spider (also called a daddy long-legs). Also included: black sunflower seeds and a Blue Flag Iris I plucked the from the garden.

Detail of Miniature oil painting of birds on copper by Rebecca Luncan, 5" x 5"

Detail of Miniature oil painting of birds on copper by Rebecca Luncan, 5″ x 5″

It was incredibly challenging to figure out such a complicated composition. Getting that many birds in there, meant I had to paint them at a very small scale. I have some detail images below to help you get a sense of the size of this painting. It took a lot of careful consideration to try to make the painting look right upon careful close inspection, but also from even a short distance away. Some of the details are lost, even from two feet away!

I hope you enjoy this painting as well as your own backyard birds! Go to my Monthly Miniatures page to see all of the paintings in this series. And join my mailing list for a Monthly Miniature Preview, to get a chance to purchase them before before they go for sale on the website, and to see what’s new in the studio.

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April Bouquet Miniature Floral Painting

by In Inspiration, Monthly Miniature Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spring has officially sprung and i hope that my newest Monthly Miniature floral painting reflects that. You may have noticed that my first four paintings in this series all have a slightly different feel (see them all on the Monthly Miniature page). Part of the change is the increase in plants and insects awakening to populate each months painting, and for April, I wanted to pack the painting full of new lush blooms. I have included seven types of plants (some in different colors), three insects and the nest of a Dark-Eyed Junco that my husband found in our yard. You can find a complete list at the end of this post.

In addition to changing the subjects in my paintings, I’m also changing how they are composed. For each of my twelve miniatures this year, I’m studying a different master of still life paintings from Northern Europe (1600-1800). I’ve long admired paintings from this era and this series is giving me the opportunity to luxuriate in the detailed little worlds created by so many different artists. See the inspiration behind all of the “In Season” miniatures in previous posts.

Abundance of blooms: Gerard Van Spaendonck

Flower still Life, oil on canvas, 22.5″ x 16″

Gerard Van Spaendonck (1746 – 1822) was an influential Dutch painter, who settled in Paris early in his career. He is known for his fabulously dense oil paintings filled with a wide assortment of flowers and a variety of other living creatures. Gerard was a master at creating an explosion of color and texture.

I’m generally drawn to simple compositions, but I wanted to go in a different direction with this painting and he was the perfect muse. I’ve been excited to change the subjects of each Miniature and highlight what is currently in season. It’s been an interesting challenge to also think of creating a mood that is reflecting the sparsity or abundance of things available as well. I have each month sketched out for the rest of the year already!

I carefully choose each of my blooms, but heavily referenced his composition from the painting, “Flower Still Life”. My plants came from a variety of places; some I found online, others were purchased, and some I picked from my garden which is starting to explode! The Seattle Growers Market is a great resource, with public hours on Fridays, 10 am – noon. I took photos and mixed everything together on the computer for the composition (Pixelmator for Mac). I posed as much as I could in a Frankenstein taped up heap to reference from life but used my digital mock up as a primary reference for plants. The birds nest with egg and caterpillar were painted solely from life (my three year old son got caterpillars for his birthday!)

What’s in my painting?

Birds and Insects:

Bumblebee
Housefly
Painted Lady Caterpillar
Dark-Eyed Oregon Junco nest and egg

Plants:

Anemones – white and yellow
Euphoria
Grape Hyacinths
Kale
Ranunculus – red, white and pink
Salal (leaves)
Tulips – rainbow parrot, flaming white parrot,  Absalom, mint green parrots

 

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Still Life Paintings in Group Show “Going Dutch”

by In Exhibition Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

When I was starting my Monthly Miniature still life paintings last January, I got a serendipitous invitation from curator Jeremy Buben. He operates The FoodArt Collection and was putting together a show of still life’s and tuliperies inspired by still life’s of the Dutch tradition and tuliperies made in the 1600’s. I happily accepted the invitation to be one of the artists.

The show hosts a great mix of styles and mediums, each artist creating lush, elegant pieces. And you don’t often get to see tulipieres! A tuliperie or tulip-holder is an ornate vessel made specifically to display tulips. They were common during the 17th c and were often designed to grow the bulbs right in the vase. I hope you’ll get the chance to stop by the gallery to see all of the pieces in person. If you can’t make it, you can go to the gallery website and see all of the pieces from the exhibit online.

Flowers, Bird's Nest and Insects, still life oil painting by Rebecca Luncan

Flowers, Bird’s Nest and Insects, oil on copper 5″ x 5″

Opening Reception: Sunday April 28, 2-5pm

Shows up through the month of May, with Sunday hours and by appointment.

From the gallery:

“The FoodArt Collection is thrilled to present a group art show of tulipieres (tulip vases) and Dutch Golden Age inspired still lifes from seven local artists.

A brief explanation: upon returning from a holiday in Holland I became obsessed with the tulipiere, a strange and fantastical vase designed specifically for tulips. To my delight I learned that local ceramic artist Carol Gouthro shared the same interest and had even curated a tulipiere show just a few years earlier at the Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA) in La Conner. When the chance to put together this show came about I reached back out to Carol and asked her if she’d like to make her first tulipiere and show it alongside art inspired by the Dutch Golden Age. A few more invites went out and thus Going Dutch was created.

I’m excited to share my passion for tulipieres, a very useful vase in my opinion, and gorgeous classical inspired art from some extremely talented local artists! Please join us for the opening this Sunday and see these tulipieres for yourself. There will also be a healthy amount of Samish Bay cheese to eat.”

Tulipieres from:

Carol Gouthro

Lois Harbaugh

Terry Siebert

Visual Art from:

Michael Doyle

Rebecca Luncan

John Rizzotto

Jennifer Zwick

Facebook Event Page: Going Dutch

For Details and Directions click HERE

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Finding inspiration in art history: Adriaen Coorte

by In Inspiration Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

For latest painting in my series of Monthly MIniature’s I painted a bowl of brussels sprouts inspired by the works by Adriaen Coorte (ca. 1665 – after 1707).

With each of these paintings, I learn more about the Northern European still life tradition and I was drawn to the simplicity of Adriaen Coorte’s compositions. Because of my classical art training and experience of working at an art museum, I can usually identify the artist or at least the era in which a painting was made. Adriaen Coorte’s paintings are easily identifiable in the genre of Dutch Still Lifes because his paintings are unusually unpretentious. Many painting from the era have extravagant compositions, featuring priceless (at the time) tulips with a riot of color. By contrast, his painting are quiet and incredibly tender.

His painting of a bowl full of strawberries became the inspiration for my painting of brussels sprouts. I chose a bowl from the collection of the Seattle Art Museum, where I work part time, and picked brussels sprouts from my garden (just about the only thing in the garden in February!).

Learn more about my painting, “Brussels Sprouts and Porcelain Bowl” in an earlier blog post and see all of the paintings in the series on the Monthly Miniature gallery page. You can also sign up for my newsletter to see each painting right when they are finished and get the first opportunity to purchase, a day before it goes public on the web site.

Adriaen Coorte, Wild Strawberries in a Wan Li Bowl, Oil on paper, mounted on wood, 11 5/8 x 8 7/8