Chrysalis – Metamorphosis Prints

Some artworks come from a place you can’t quite explain. They creep up on you, whisper in your ear, and demand to be brought to life. Chrysalis was one of those.

The Concept: A metamorphosis prints in bloom

I’ve always been fascinated by transformation—the kind that isn’t loud, but deep, painful, and necessary. This piece is about that shift. About embracing the uncomfortable, about breaking open so something new can emerge. We often think of growth as this graceful, linear thing, but it’s raw. It requires surrender. Chrysalis is that moment before the butterfly takes flight—the uncertainty, the tension, the beauty in decay.

The figure in the piece clings to herself, almost as if trying to hold in the inevitable. Orchids—delicate yet resilient—bloom where thoughts should be, and Monarch butterflies mark the final step of the process. And then there’s the wound. The breaking point. The opening where something more is trying to escape. It’s transformation, but it’s not painless.

The Process: Applying matte painting to surreal portraiture

Visually, this one was an experiment in contrasts. Soft versus harsh, beauty versus distress. I used matte painting techniques to bring this vision to life. These are usually used to create landscapes and environments for film scenography and games, but through the years I have developed a skill to implement these techniques within digital portraiture. I started with a photographic base, carefully selecting the right pose to convey that internal struggle. The craft of digital photo manipulation played a huge role in bringing this vision to life. I combined multiple photographic elements, blending them seamlessly to build the surreal composition. Digital painting was then used to refine the smallest details—enhancing textures, sculpting the light, and defining the atmosphere. This approach helped create the soft, dreamlike ambiance that gives Chrysalis its ethereal quality and makes it work seamlessly as a metamorphosis prints, suitable for relaxing and regal spaces.

The Aesthetics: A glowing touch with regal purples

Color is everything in my work, and here, I wanted something ethereal but intense. The deep purples and blues push towards the surreal, while the warm glow ties it back to something human. Purples and pinks, in color psychology, are associated with spirituality, transformation, and introspection—fitting themes for this piece. These colors evoke a sense of mystery and depth, symbolizing the emotional intensity of change. Every light flare, every gradient was a conscious choice to draw the eye where it needed to go—to the eyes, to the hands, to the wound.