Sam Watkins has lived a life most Americans can only comprehend through documentary clips and National Geographic magazines. A professional soccer player, cunning explorer, heart-felt philanthropist, and dedicated artist, Sam seems to fit the term “renaissance man” quite perfectly.

Glancing at his body of work, it doesn’t take a keen intellect to understand how deeply his work is tied to Africa. It is, indeed, where Sam spent the majority of his life, and the home to which he continues to return. His art is a stunning homage to the continent and invites us to leave our creature comforts to peer into another part of the world.

The high standards of Banner Elk notwithstanding, Sam’s work is among the most vibrant depictions of nature in Clark Gallery. In particular, his use of butterfly wings. The precision in these pieces is only surpassed by the universe of deep blues in each and every wing. Seeing these pieces in person is a wholly different experience.

When we last spoke, Sam told us about how he sources the materials for his pieces. There is a desert, three days travel from the nearest village, where after mating, these butterflies go to die. The desert itself becomes painted in brilliant iridescence as the slowing flutter of millions of butterflies becomes a calm and still sea of beauty.

If any of Sam Watkin’s work hangs in the gallery when you visit, you’ll have no choice but to be captivated by them, staring directly into God’s own eyes—into these winged reflections of creation.