SOUTH THOMASTON — Artist Katharine Owens has donated an original block print/collage entitled ‘Monarch’ to be raffled to benefit the Georges River Land Trust. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Hartford, and researcher in environmental policy and sustainability.

The monarch butterfly has distinct orange, black, and white wings, making it possibly the most recognizable of all American butterflies, and is known for the astonishing 3000 mile journey some will make in the fall to their wintering grounds in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Mexico or to southern California.

The coloring is beautiful to humans, but reads as a warning to predators that the monarch is foul tasting and poisonous. Monarchs are found throughout the United States, as well as Mexico and Canada, although their numbers are in danger due to clearing of land and reduction of a plant that is required for survival. Milkweed, readily found on lands preserved by the Georges River Land Trust, is essential for the life cycle and continued survival of this iconic butterfly.

‘Monarch’ is a block print and its distinctive orange coloring created with pieces of international postage stamps collaged onto the paper. The hand applied collage elements on Monarch make it a unique, one of a kind work of art. The artwork is elegantly and archivally framed by Primrose Framing in Rockland and will be on display at The Highlands Coffee House in Thomaston.

Owens discusses her process on her Etsy site, ‘BugGirlArt': "Printmaking means the artist creates an image on a plate or block using a range of techniques and then produces a limited number of prints. It's not a poster or a digitally printed copy. It means a block is individually inked, then a piece of paper is placed on the inked block, and by press or hand the ink is transferred to the paper.”

“For these pieces, the images are all hand-drawn, from life or photographs, the blocks are hand-cut, and then the image is hand-printed. I often limit a series to ten or fewer prints, with perhaps a handful of additional prints, proofs or variations. In fifteen years of printmaking, I have never made more than 20 prints of any one image, and I never will. "

Raffle tickets are available for $20 per chance at The Kelpie Gallery or The Highlands Coffee House. The drawing will be held on August 16 at The Kelpie Gallery during the ‘Wet Paint on the Weskeag!’ auction event. Tickets for ‘Wet Paint on the Weskeag!’ can also be purchased at The Kelpie Gallery or on the website TheKelpieGallery.com. For more information call 207-691-0392 or 207-691-3416.