The Dragonfly Dialogues by Chrys Hill

About The Dragonfly Dialogues

This series has its beginnings many years ago while living in Sri Lanka. Near my home was a pond built for water supply. It was a joy to sit there watching the hundreds of Dragonflies hovering and zooming around in seemingly random flight patterns. I made a painting then about Dragonflies as part of a solo exhibition. Not so much about the Dragonflies themselves, but about their flying habits that seemingly had no consciousness, purpose or direction.

Many cultures have a spiritual attitude to Dragonflies. In the West, they tend to be viewed as something a bit confusing maybe connected to the idea of change. Eastern cultures see them in a much more positive light. The Chinese consider them to signal impending good luck.

There is a Maori story about a Chief called Rākeiao* who called up masses of kapowai, Dragonflies to help defeat his enemies in battle by flying in their faces and confusing them. To this day, the Marae of Rākeiao’s ancestors see significance in the arrival of a Dragonfly. They claim the Dragonfly is a type of warning concerning the motives of visitors and if they can be trusted.

Overall, Dragonflies are seen as symbols of patience and change, even a positive rebirth. This comes mostly because of the unusual life cycle of the Dragonfly.

The eggs are laid in or near water and hatch out into nymphs. The nymph is not a creature of any beauty and it is in this state that the majority of a Dragonfly’s live cycle occurs. It can take several years and many changes of ‘skins’ before the nymph crawls up a stem to emerge from the pond and become an adult. The adult stage is the one that we usually see. All iridescent and glistening with erratic flight patterns, hovering just above the surface of water. This adult phase is a short one and at best only lasts a few days, just long enough to lay more eggs in the pond. 

From an egg to a nymph, to a beautiful adult. A life begun in a muddy pond and completed glistening in the air. The Dragonfly is a symbol of change and optimism. The World needs plenty of this.

Chrys Hill