Thunderbird Instead

Description

Title: "Thunderbird Instead," taken from Sylvia Plath's poem "Mad Girl's Love Song"

Dimensions: 19" x 24"

Media: black ink, pen, and Prismacolor colored pencil

Throughout the fire and phoenix-themed drawing are scrawled the words "I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. I lift my lids and all is born again."-- all of which is taken from Plath's poem.

This was originally a transformation project; meant literally to show one thing transforming into another. I took it more figuratively and used the imagery of fire to symbolize cleansing and rebirth, and had a man burning and dying and transforming into a Phoenix of sorts.

The title itself comes from the line "I should have loved a thunderbird instead; At least when spring comes they roar back again."

Added on Sep 21, 2009