New Painting Progress

Here's a piece I'm working on for "Woodlands" at Modern Eden Gallery next month.  This is the first piece (besides a small wooden door hanger) that I've done with the wood grain showing, and I'm absolutely loving it.  I'll definitely be doing more pieces like this in the future.

This piece deals with my own teenage experiences with the Ouija and Tarot cards; the seal that the kestrel on the left is holding was something we used to protect ourselves from bad spirits when we used the board.  

The kestrel on the left deals with protection; besides the protective seal, the flowers in it's claws all represent protection in floriography (heather, Queen Anne's Lace, juniper), and the bird on the right represents creativity/artistic expression; the tarot (the five of wands) it holds symbolizes creativity, as does the bunch of oregano in it's claws. 

So, overall the piece symbolizes how the oracle (Ouija planchette with the all-seeing eye) can lead to creativity, but there should be protection nearby.