Three moths and a beetle, painted in acrylic on canvas: two small round moths, a 40×40 cm silkworm moth and a beetle on an oval canvas. Prices run from €120 to €600. Each painting is the only original — I do not sell reproductions.
I ship from Porto by UPS with tracking to the 27 EU countries and Monaco, and you see the shipping cost for your country before you pay. For anywhere else, write to [email protected].
Three moths: white, pink and silk
Hyphantria cunea, Ø20 cm, €120. The white American moth: pale wings with fine black markings against a deep blue background. Acrylic on a round canvas, signed and dated, finished with a protective layer.
Pink Moth, Ø20 cm, €120. A pink moth with red and yellow wings on deep blue, painted in 2024. The painting sets softness against brightness and calm against expression. Acrylic on a round canvas, signed.
Silkworm Moth, 40×40 cm, €600. The silkworm is the moth whose cocoon gives natural silk, and it echoes my surname: Shelkovenko comes from shelk, the Russian word for silk. I painted it in 2023, while moving from Estonia to Portugal. Acrylic on stretched canvas, part of the Thoughts series.
Beetle on an oval canvas
The Beetle sits on saturated green, in deep violet and red that make it look like a living gemstone. It is a painting about small creatures and how finely nature makes them. Acrylic on an oval canvas, 20×30 cm, 2024, signed. €120.
Sizes and prices
| Artwork | Shape | Size, cm | Size, in | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyphantria cunea (white moth) | round | Ø20 | Ø7.9 | €120 |
| Pink Moth | round | Ø20 | Ø7.9 | €120 |
| Silkworm Moth | square | 40×40 | 15.7×15.7 | €600 |
| Beetle | oval | 20×30 | 7.9×11.8 | €120 |
All four are acrylic on canvas. The price is for the painting alone; shipping for your country is shown on the painting’s page before you pay, and the rates are below. Originals in other sizes and at other prices are in Paintings.
How to buy, and what shipping costs
On the painting’s page, choose the country it is going to: the total — painting plus shipping — appears straight away. Then press Buy and pay through Stripe by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. While you are in the checkout, the painting is held for you for up to 35 minutes.
I send a ready painting within 5 working days of payment. Within the EU, UPS usually takes 2–5 working days, and the tracking number comes to you by email. Canvases travel wrapped in film and packed in a cardboard box.
Shipping by UPS, packaging included, in euros:
| Artwork | Portugal (mainland) | Other EU countries and Monaco | Cyprus and Malta | Madeira |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyphantria cunea, Pink Moth, Beetle | 20 | 30 | 60 | 55 |
| Silkworm Moth | 25 | 35 | 70 | 60 |
For the Azores, the Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, the French outermost regions or the Åland Islands, write to me before paying. In Porto you can see a painting and collect it by appointment, paying in cash; to pay online and collect, write to me before paying, because the checkout always adds shipping. If a painting arrives damaged, send me photos of the packaging and the painting, and I will refund you in full, shipping included. If you buy online, you have 14 days from delivery to change your mind; the return postage is yours to pay (withdrawal).
Everything in detail: Buying and shipping.
A gift for someone who loves moths and beetles
For someone who collects insects or simply likes them, a hand-painted original makes a change from pinned specimens and posters. The small round and oval canvases are €120 each; Silkworm Moth, at 40×40 cm, is €600.
I can send the painting straight to the person you are giving it to, at another address in the EU or Monaco, with a note from you and no price inside. If they are moving and do not have the new address yet, I can wait to send it — up to 30 days, unless we agree on another date.
More ideas for presents are in Gifts. For delivery before Christmas, check the Christmas dates.
For a dark academia or naturalist room
The insects sit on dark grounds: deep blue under the two round moths and a dark ground behind the silkworm. The beetle is the exception, on bright green. Each of the three small works — two Ø20 cm rounds and a 20×30 cm oval — may suit a narrow wall or a bookshelf. They are separate works, each with its own Buy button.
If you want birds next to the insects, there are owls and magpies too: A Quiet Place, a small owl, 40×50 cm, €300; Keeper of Silence, an owl in the hollow of an old tree, 60×80 cm, €500; and Treasures, magpies gathering pendants and stones into a heart-shaped nest, 100×80 cm, €1,600.
What the moths stand for here
A moth starts life as a caterpillar and changes completely before it flies; many species spin a cocoon for that change. That is one reason moths are often read as a sign of transformation, and the same idea runs through two of these paintings.
Pink Moth is about transformation and quiet strength, told through colour. Silkworm Moth, painted during my move between countries, is about passing from one state to another and starting a new chapter. The Beetle celebrates the quiet magic of small creatures and natural perfection.
Sold: Automeris io
Automeris io, a night moth with golden-yellow wings and eyespots on a round Ø20 cm canvas, is now in a private collection.
I take commissions in oil, acrylic and watercolour, in my own style. If you would like a moth painted for you, write to me and we will agree the size, timing and price by email.
Questions
Are these prints or originals?
Originals. Each painting exists once and is painted by hand in acrylic on canvas. I do not sell reproductions.
Is a moth the same as a butterfly?
No, though they are close relatives in the same insect order, Lepidoptera. Most moths fly at night and most butterflies by day. Every insect on this page is a moth, except the Beetle.
Do you ship outside the EU, for example to the UK or the US?
Not at the moment: I ship to the 27 EU countries and Monaco. If you live elsewhere, write to [email protected].
Can I see a painting before I buy it?
Yes, in Porto, by appointment: Rua Alcaide de Faria, 193. You can collect it there too and pay in cash; to pay online and collect, write to me before paying, because the checkout always adds shipping.
Can you paint a moth to order?
Yes. I take commissions in oil, acrylic and watercolour; we agree the size, timing and price by email before I start. A commission is made to your specifications, so the 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to it (details).