Fly Fly Away (2026) Original Relief by Amanda Deadman

Created through a slow and meditative process of painting, cutting and layering, "Fly fly away" explores movement, repetition and sensory calm through delicate sculptural relief.

I began the piece by creating an abstract watercolour painting filled with flowing lines and organic forms in layered tones of turquoise, blue, sea green, white and gold. The surface was built intuitively using transparent washes, rhythmic mark-making and metallic accents to create depth, movement and light.

From this original painting, hundreds of individual butterflies were carefully punch-cut by hand and arranged into sweeping curved lines using graduating sizes to create a gentle sense of flow across the composition. Each butterfly casts its own soft shadow, allowing the artwork to subtly transform as the light changes throughout the day.

Mounted onto a crisp white backing board and presented within a white box frame, the piece balances delicacy with contemporary structure. From a distance, the artwork appears as an intricate abstract pattern; on closer inspection, the individual butterflies slowly emerge — inviting moments of pause, stillness and quiet discovery.

Materials used:

Watercolour paper on board

Details:

• Relief on Paper on board
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 53.4 x 53.4 x 4cm (framed) / 49.8 x 49.8cm (actual image size)
• Framed and ready to hang
• Signed on the front
• Style: Organic
• Subject: Animals and birds