Post note: I received an email from a follower of my art and writing yesterday. I had finished this painting minutes before, she had no way of knowing that. She wrote to tell me she had followed my work for years, and the subject of Egypt came up, She wondered how I might express the day in art or writing. She wrote a beautiful note about it, and explained her son in law was Egyptian. Eerily coincidental? I do believe the winds of freedom did reach me, from all those brave people. The writer ended up buying the painting, and I was really touched by that. The story it will have for members in her family...very nice.
I watched the television and the images stayed with me all morning. I hadn't planned on painting something for Egypt.
But as I sat down to paint something, first a small rabbit appeared. I really had no clue what to paint, and was just watching the piece of wood before me for shapes and colors to appear- it is how I always start a piece.
But when the rabbit appeared, I looked up the symbolism of the creature and I found this somewhere:
"The flooding of the Nile was encouraged by sacrificing Osiris, who in the ceremonies, took on the form of a hare. As this process occurred annually, the rabbit/hare became associated with resurrection. "
Hmmm....
I looked up the Egyptian flag and found this:
"The red band symbolizes the period before the Revolution, a time characterized by the struggle against the monarchy, and the British occupation of the country. The white band symbolizes the bloodless nature of the Revolution itself. The black band symbolizes the end of the oppression of the Egyptian people at the hands of the monarchy, and foreign imperialism."
The beautiful, bold flag of this country has an eagle in the center white strip.
I let him fly free.
