Self-portrait butterfly eye perpetuates the beauty that can be found on the edge of life. Living on a farm I encounter the passing and carcasses of many animals including cattle, horses, dogs, cats, kangaroos, turtles, birds, and insects, which act as a constant reminder of my own mortality. My reality is paralleled by a feeling of brevity that in turn brings beauty to my lived experience. My self-portrait plays on this beauty as it depicts an injured orchard swallowtail butterfly fluttering over the surface of my eye, and although it is near death, it seems curiously beautiful.