The Wedding of Mrs. Fox

"The Wedding of Mrs. Fox"

acrylic on birch panel

5 x 7 inches, framed

2011

inquiries: corylou311(at)yahoo(dot)com

I found this synopsis on Wikipedia:

 In one variant, Mr. Fox feigns death to test his wife's fidelity; in the other, he actually dies. Many suitors arrive. Mrs. Fox rejects them: in the first variant because while they are foxes they do not have the nine tails of her husband, and in the second, because they are wolves, bears, etc. and do not look like her dead husband.

One suitor arrives who does resemble him, and a wedding is held. If Mr. Fox feigned death, he arises and drives them out all.  

The word for "tail" used has an obscene meaning to make her preference clear.

I was very eager to make a painting about this story because I had been dying to paint a fox, as I've never painted one before.  I wanted these small paintings to resemble the illustrations that accompanied stories my parents read to me as a child, but with my own style as well.  I'll be revealing more of them soon.

This piece has Mrs. Fox, and a ghostly image of her husband (with three of his nine "obscene" tails pictured!) and his skull, a pink rose which signifies grace, and a purple rose representing sorrow.