Butterfly Girl by Naomi Haverland
ARTIST: Naomi Haverland
CREATED: 2021
MEDIUM: Mural on masonry
LOCATION: Courtyard, The Freight Yard, Tallahassee, Florida
About the Work
Butterfly Girl began with a real person. For the reference photograph, Naomi Haverland applied colorful jewels directly to a model's face, giving her a richly detailed source image for the mural. Haverland then translated that human face to monumental scale and transformed it with electric-blue hair, butterfly wings, curling antennae, and saturated color.
The site was deliberately designed to become part of the artwork. A trellis was built around the mural so climbing vines could grow around and frame the face. Rather than simply decorating the wall, the greenery becomes a living border for the portrait.
As the vines fill in, the effect changes. The face begins to seem as though it is emerging from the foliage - less like a portrait painted on a building and more like a wood spirit peering out from the courtyard. That interplay between realistic portraiture, fantasy, masonry, and living vegetation is an important part of the piece.
The mural also rewards different viewing distances. From across the courtyard, the face, butterfly wings, blue hair, and antennae read as one bold composition. Up close, the individual jewels, highlights, brushwork, and texture of the masonry take over.
Look Closer
The jewels began in real life. Haverland applied them directly to the model's face for the reference image before translating them into paint.
The trellis is intentional. It was built specifically so vines could frame the mural as they mature.
The artwork changes with the landscape. As the vines grow, Butterfly Girl increasingly appears to peer through living vegetation.
Step back, then move close. The mural shifts from a single graphic image to a collection of small painted details.
Notice the wall itself. The seams and texture of the masonry remain visible beneath the image, making the architecture part of the work.
About the Artist
Naomi Haverland is a muralist and public artist known for combining realistic portraiture with vivid color, illusion, and surreal imagery. Her work uses exaggerated scale and carefully rendered detail to transform ordinary architectural surfaces into immersive images.
The Freight Yard Public Art Collection
Butterfly Girl is part of the public art collection at The Freight Yard in Tallahassee, Florida, where murals, sculpture, and unconventional installations are integrated throughout the property. The collection is intended to make art part of the everyday experience of the Freight Yard rather than something encountered only in a gallery or museum.