A Garden of Butterfly Art by Astrella Art Design

*Contact Mark at Astrella* Art Design**
E-Mail	Phone	SnailMail
Astrella Art Design
To inquire about original art purchases or commissioned pieces, please contact the Astrella Art Design studio directly as above.

Welcome to
A Garden of
Butterfly Art
by
Premier Butterfly Artist Mark Astrella

Original Art
and Prints
created by
Mark Astrella

Children’s
Books
illustrated by
Mark Astrella

Butterflies in art have historically been symbolic
of spirituality, transformation, bliss and beauty.

Mark Astrella is an artist who specializes in paintings of butterflies. He lives on the island of Maui where he paints in a hidden studio in the remote West Maui mountains, parts of which still remain unexplored to this day. In this tropical paradise, he creates vivid acrylic butterfly paintings rendered with scientific accuracy and shown in their natural habitat (click here to explore his gallery of amazing paintings & prints).
Many of Astrella’s paintings have been published in magazines and children’s books. His work has appeared on the cover of American Butterflies magazine and he was named "Butterfly Artist of the Year" by the North American Butterfly Association, confirming that his art not only appeals to children, but to grown-up lepidopterists and butterfly lovers alike.

“I believe as Hawaiians that God is reflected in the beauty of nature,” says Astrella. “The butterfly or ‘Pulelehua’ is a symbol of that beauty. Simple yet complex, colorful and tranquil describe the butterfly and what I try to achieve in my paintings.”

Astrella’s books can be purchased at any major retail bookstore or online bookstore or signed copies may be ordered here. Large book quantities should be ordered through the publisher and will be unsigned. All prints are signed and produced in-house on archival acid-free water color paper using pigmented inks. The prints should always be framed with glass to insure longevity.

“I grew up in central Massachusetts and studied nature while hiking the New England countryside and the beaches of Cape Cod. My drawing aptitude was apparent at an early age and, unlike the other kids drawings, I would spend days or even weeks putting in the tiniest of details in my drawings and paintings.
After college I started freelancing as Astrella Art Design and took on any project that came along. I began painting signs for a sign company and eventually was designing everything from business cards, brochures and billboards to menus, murals and magazine covers. Over the years I’ve created hundreds of logos and illustrations for advertising agencies, businesses and corporations.
In 1993 I began illustrating children’s books and have been lucky enough to spend as much time as I want producing the 32-page, realistic paintings for educational book publishers that place my work in the hands of several hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. Unlike most children’s books that contain oversimplified art or cartoony characters, I believe children enjoy the tiny details, depth and realism of my work.
In addition, to my art career by day I also have another career by night as a lighting designer. For nearly 30 years I did lighting for touring rock bands, theater, television and corporate events. These two things may appear to be totally unrelated but, in fact, are nearly one in the same. Balance, color, contrast, texture and execution are qualities that both fields require an innate awareness and sensitivity for. I know how light falls on an object better than anyone. My knowledge of painting helps me light the stage while my knowledge of lighting helps me paint with a true perception of what I am viewing. Philosophically, I would say that light is the root of all beauty.
In 1995, I moved to beautiful Maui to paint, hike and light the stage. Currently, I am the Lighting Director at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and am illustrating my 5^th book and painting the Maui scenery.”

Contact Mark at Astrella Art Design

E-Mail Phone SnailMail

Astrella Art Design

To inquire about original art purchases or commissioned pieces,
please contact the Astrella Art Design studio directly as above.

Butterflies in art have historically been symbolic of spirituality, transformation, bliss and beauty. Mark Astrella is an artist who specializes in paintings of butterflies. He lives on the island of Maui where he paints in a hidden studio in the remote West Maui mountains, parts of which still remain unexplored to this day. In his tropical paradise he creates vivid acrylic butterfly paintings rendered with scientific accuracy and shown in their natural habitat.

Mark Astrella is an artist who specializes in paintings of butterflies. He lives on the island of Maui where he paints in a hidden studio in the remote West Maui mountains, parts of which still remain unexplored to this day. In this tropical paradise, he creates vivid acrylic butterfly paintings rendered with scientific accuracy and shown in their natural habitat (click here to explore his gallery of amazing paintings & prints). Many of Astrella’s paintings have been published in magazines and children’s books. His work has appeared on the cover of American Butterflies magazine and he was named "Butterfly Artist of the Year" by the North American Butterfly Association, confirming that his art not only appeals to children, but to grown-up lepidopterists and butterfly lovers alike. “I believe as Hawaiians that God is reflected in the beauty of nature,” says Astrella. “The butterfly or ‘Pulelehua’ is a symbol of that beauty. Simple yet complex, colorful and tranquil describe the butterfly and what I try to achieve in my paintings.” Astrella’s books can be purchased at any major retail bookstore or online bookstore or signed copies may be ordered here. Large book quantities should be ordered through the publisher and will be unsigned. All prints are signed and produced in-house on archival acid-free water color paper using pigmented inks. The prints should always be framed with glass to insure longevity.

“I grew up in central Massachusetts and studied nature while hiking the New England countryside and the beaches of Cape Cod. My drawing aptitude was apparent at an early age and, unlike the other kids drawings, I would spend days or even weeks putting in the tiniest of details in my drawings and paintings. After college I started freelancing as Astrella Art Design and took on any project that came along. I began painting signs for a sign company and eventually was designing everything from business cards, brochures and billboards to menus, murals and magazine covers. Over the years I’ve created hundreds of logos and illustrations for advertising agencies, businesses and corporations. In 1993 I began illustrating children’s books and have been lucky enough to spend as much time as I want producing the 32-page, realistic paintings for educational book publishers that place my work in the hands of several hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. Unlike most children’s books that contain oversimplified art or cartoony characters, I believe children enjoy the tiny details, depth and realism of my work. In addition, to my art career by day I also have another career by night as a lighting designer. For nearly 30 years I did lighting for touring rock bands, theater, television and corporate events. These two things may appear to be totally unrelated but, in fact, are nearly one in the same. Balance, color, contrast, texture and execution are qualities that both fields require an innate awareness and sensitivity for. I know how light falls on an object better than anyone. My knowledge of painting helps me light the stage while my knowledge of lighting helps me paint with a true perception of what I am viewing. Philosophically, I would say that light is the root of all beauty. In 1995, I moved to beautiful Maui to paint, hike and light the stage. Currently, I am the Lighting Director at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center and am illustrating my 5^th book and painting the Maui scenery.”