The butterfly is the inspiration for artist Jessica Jing McCann. McCann sees the creature as both fragile and strong.
“The butterfly has always been my favorite insect,” said McCann, of O’Hara. She recalled a trip to a butterfly garden at Niagara Falls when she was 14. “I love the elegance and grace of a butterfly. I also love its strength and its fragility.”
The essence of the insect comes through in the art McCann fashions out of nickel.
She said making jewelry is a process. It begins with a design she creates through a sketch, which she builds into a paper model. She takes those pieces of paper and places them on the nickel. McCann cuts the material with a coping saw into the desired shapes. She files the edges and sands the metal before polishing the jewelry.