Artwork copyright Debra Davis. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2000.

Artwork copyright Debra Davis. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Swallowtails, 1999

Debra Davis
American (born 1960)

Location: Riverside Middle School, Chattaroy

About the Artwork

Swallowtails is a painting by artist Debra Davis. She began it in the summer while working for the Forest Service trail crew in Cle Elum, Washington. After a snowy and wet winter, she noticed an unusual number of Western Tiger and Mountain Swallowtail butterflies on the trail. She notes, “When fall came, I sat down to draw the butterflies and I knew they had to be larger than life. I referred to photographs for the shapes and markings. I made a model butterfly that hung from a string so I could see how to draw it from different angles in flight.”

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Riverside School District.

About the Artist

Northwest artist and naturalist Debra Davis creates paintings and sculptures that are strongly influenced by her summer job as a seasonal forestry technician with the U.S. Forest Service. A longtime resident of Central Washington, Davis received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Central Washington University in Ellensburg and taught art at Yakima Valley College.