Still I Rise

(Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilionidae) I heard a talk given by: Elder Dale G. Renlund called: “Lifelong Conversion” He used the Finnish word “sisu to describe a word roughly translated into English means: stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, and resilience. Elder Renlund said ‘sisu decides on a course of action and adheres to it “no matter what.” To me the artist this can be described the symbolic beauty of the butterfly. It’s growth mindset, or process in becoming a butterfly. The following quote by Robert Millet inspired my painting. “Suppose you and I were walking in the forest on a spring morning. The sun is shining, the flowers are glorious, and the temperature is just right. Suddenly we notice a beautiful flying creature with wings of many colors. It flits here and there. It lands on a leaf for a few seconds and then flies away. It would never occur to us to say, “” WOW! Did you see that good- looking, converted worm?” It had been a worm, and it had been converted, hadn’t i