"Silent Dominion" – Nature’s Quiet Power Display by Chris Lee

In this carefully crafted display, nature’s elegance and mystery are brought to life in a harmonious composition. At the heart of the scene rests a bobcat skull, its sharp features and intense gaze frozen in time, a reminder of the wild predator’s quiet dominance. Its jagged teeth, weathered yet imposing, hint at the power that once prowled the forests, now captured in stillness.

Perched delicately above the skull, a White Admiral butterfly flutters in suspended grace, its wings spread wide in a quiet yet striking contrast to the rugged skull below. The butterfly's delicate black and white pattern, meticulously preserved, evokes a sense of fleeting beauty, offering a stark contrast to the fierce and eternal stillness of the bobcat’s remains. Its fragile wings suggest the delicate balance between nature’s quiet moments and its untamed forces.

Adding another layer to this forest tableau is a scarab beetle, native to North America, and positioned gracefully beside the bobcat skull. Its rich, metallic sheen—shimmering in bronze tones—gives it an almost otherworldly presence. This beetle, though small, plays an essential role in the forest’s ecosystem, silently working as part of nature's cycle of life and decay. Its presence speaks to the often-overlooked yet crucial creatures that sustain the world around us.

The specimens are carefully nestled among lush moss, soft fungus, and delicate toadstools that grow from a rustic stump, grounding the scene in the forest’s rich, organic textures. The pale, vibrant hues of the toadstools contrast gently with the earthy tones of the rocks and moss that surround the display, bringing to life the raw, living beauty of the woodland floor. Each element—living or decayed—serves as a reminder of the intricate, unbreakable connections that weave together the natural world.

Encased beneath a handmade glass box cover, this piece captures a moment of quiet reflection, where the power of the bobcat, the fragile beauty of the butterfly, and the industrious presence of the scarab beetle all coexist in a fragile equilibrium. Through Chris Lee’s work, viewers are invited to contemplate the complex relationships between predator and prey, strength and fragility, and life and death in the North American wilderness. The display speaks to the beauty in nature's cycles, where each creature plays its role in an endless dance of transformation.