Catching bugs with my children brings back so many memories of my own childhood. Turning over stones, looking under dead branches, watching ants file along in neat rows, busy with their life's work. I learned so much by observing these small worlds and developed a reverence for the complexity and beauty of life on Earth. Insects have always fascinated me; though small, they outnumber us 1.4 billion to 1! We live inside homes that strive to keep them out, yet life on this planet is not sustainable without them. We need them as pollinators, yet they have the ability to wipe out crops. They can destroy our building materials and ruin our stored foods, yet they turn and aerate the soil, they scavenge and decompose, keeping ecosystems in check. This warp was inspired by a type of Jewel beetle from the family Buprestidae. They are wood-boring beetles, but are known for their iridescent, colorful nature. The warp is named Elytra, for their specialized protective wing casings. It was woven in a network drafted twill, based on a design from Eva Stossel.

There were two pieces on this warp. The competition piece is 4.7m in purple rose viscose weft. The sister piece has black Tencel weft.