The title of this thesis is: The Magic of Butterfly Metamorphosis: A Study in the Creation of Ink Paintings by Chien Huei-Mei. Two years ago, my brother died of hypopharyngeal cancer, thus inspiring me to express my thoughts and feelings towards life through creation. The motif of my creation is the life cycle of butterflies as well as the cultural connotation of the insects. The aim of the project is for me to express my emotion, fulfill my life, pass on the culture of butterflies, and eventually heal from my grief. In the introduction of Chapter 1, I explain my motivation as originating from my thoughts and feelings towards life. Painting is my way to express them, and my paintings tend to reflect time and space. Therefore, I attempt to combine my inner self with the theoretical framework of Chinese and Western aesthetics, gathering related material to explore the subject. Chapter 2 first reviews research on a series of topics, including the development of traditional bird-and-flower paintings, the use of butterflies as the subject matter throughout the history of Chinese art, the image of butterflies in modern art, and the nature of semiotics and the application of it to paintings, then combines the concept of symbolism in different fields of art such as literature, theater, and painting, in order to examine the possibility of carrying out a creative process on the basis of established theories. Chapter 3 analyzes the motive behind the project and illustrates its content, form, artistic elements, composition, color, and atmosphere (both perceived and made), presenting my own technique and framework of aesthetics. Chapter 4 focuses on the individual works in regard to style and the skills involved, and deals with three major topics: thoughts and feelings towards life; temporal and spatial changes; and metaphor. A total of twenty-three paintings are shown with extended captions expounding both the inner meaning and the outer characteristics of each work. In Chapter 5, I engage in introspection and self-criticism to see if I have indeed achieved the aim of the study and if there is anything else I can work on. Expectations for my artistic endeavor in the future are also set up in this last chapter.