"The figure of her new self leaves the remnant of her past self....
        this work is a silent hymn to transformation."        -- Michael Wilkinson

Chrysalis - The capsule from which a butterfly develops. Anything in an undeveloped or transitory stage.
Nova - Feminine of novus (Latin), meaning new.

"I consider this piece an artistic milestone for me. It represents much of what I have learned from working with acrylic over the past 20 plus years – and it represents what I think is a beautiful synthesis of art and technological advancement."

If you look into the sculpture you can see the embedded image that represents a shed skin. Its surface is cracked and broken at the edges. This is symbolic of an unwanted part that the woman on the outside of the sculpture has shed. The figure of her new self leaves the remnant of her past self and emerges from the sculpture anew, much the way a butterfly would from a cocoon, or a chrysalis. On the outside of the sculpture, beside the emerging female figure, the polished viewing surface is outlined in the stylized shape of a butterfly wing – a feature that quietly adds to the theme.

Chrysalis Nova is an homage to our capacity to transform ourselves anew and to direct our lives.

As you turn the work, at times the outer and inner figures are superimposed, where it appears that the outer figure is rising out of the inner figure.  One such view is shown below.

Go to Wilkinson Website