Animarii No.12: Moth — The Navigator of Starlight · Original Oil Painting

Original oil painting on professional watercolor sheet. Painted in oils on a half sheet (15x20 inches), landscape orientation — the twelfth and final painting in the Animarii series, created to close the collection. Hand-applied variegated copper foil on the crescent eye-spots and a full moon at the body’s center. Varnished. Includes proof of sale document. Ready to ship.

She does not navigate toward the moon. She carries it. The full moon sits at her body’s center — warm copper, radiant, the source of light held within rather than sought without. The four crescent eye-spots across her wings tell the complete lunar story: waning on the left, waxing on the right, the full cycle carried in her markings as she moves through the dark. The constellation trail behind her is the path she has already traveled. She knows exactly where she is going because she has always known. She does not need a compass. She is one.

This painting is part of Animarii, a 12-piece series of original oil paintings on professional watercolor sheet by British-Californian artist Rebecca Papillon.

Medium: Oil on professional watercolor sheet. The paper is sealed before painting and worked in highly lightfast pigment oils. Painted image area 13x19 inches on a 15x20 inch half sheet, landscape orientation. Signed by the artist. Includes proof of sale document.

Sold unframed. The framed mock-up shown is for scale and framing inspiration only.

Framing guidance
This piece frames beautifully in a standard frame with a 13x19 inch mat aperture. We recommend a 16x20 or 18x24 inch frame with a weighted mat. As a varnished oil painting on paper, this work is displayed without glass — this is standard practice for oil paintings. Varnish protects the surface, and glass would trap moisture and alter how the colors read. Simply frame with the mat only, no glazing required. Do not hang in direct sunlight — avoid placement opposite south- or west-facing windows and skylights.