2. Thirty-Two Butterflies
 The loss of so many beautiful lives on that fateful day in April 2007 left me numb. In the wake of such
tragedy I felt a need to do something to acknowledge and deal with the trauma that I knew I shared
with the entire Virginia Tech community.
 I believe Butterflies are a gift of nature in their extraordinary beauty as well as their symbolism for
transformation. As an illustrator I felt compelled to use that symbol in a commemorative painting – a
sort of therapeutic art project to help me through this healing process. I decided on 32 butterflies, and
chose 32 different species to show diversity and unique beauty, each finding it’s own path skyward
with peace and tranquility as a destiny. This painting, entitled simply “Thirty-two Butterflies” took
nearly a year to finish as I felt no rush and enjoyed designing each one.
 Thirty-Two Butterflies is a water media painting that includes watercolor, acrylic dyes and gouache.
One can see it as a bridge constructed to allow emotion to flow from a place of pain and grief to a
spiritual calm as the butterflies, diverse in their individual grandeur, cross over to freedom and peace.
 Any profit received from reproductions of this painting will go to the Center for Peace Studies and
Violence Prevention.
 Kathleen June Mullins

3. Our Daily Bread sponsored these wonderful
themed dessert trays for our event.