Michael Olsen

Michael Olsen is one of Britain’s premiere lepidopterological artists. His representations of butterflies mix hand painting with feathers and acrylics to create truly unique and idiosyncratic display pieces.

Since he was old enough to appreciate their beauty, Olsen’s has nurtured a lifelong fascination with butterflies and birds. In particular, he finds the moment when a butterfly stops to let an observer admire its form captivating. His work is an attempt to recreate the beauty of these small but significant occurrences on a large, indoor scale by creating great numbers of butterflies out of feathers and encasing them in perspex.

In almost all of Michael Olsen’s pieces, the feather butterflies are arranged so they appear to be floating on the wall, whilst encased in transparent acrylic boxes. 

Aside from Victorian domes, Michael Olsen’s inspirations are the simple beautiful things in life, such as love, family, the outdoors, music, and moments of happiness—alone or with others. These are the things that drive Olsen to create his displays, which he hopes reflect these pockets of daily beauty.