Demon Bird

"Demon Bird"

inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven

acrylic on birch panel

8 x 10 inches, plus frame

2012

$350.00

available HERE

Here's my painting for Modern Eden Gallery's upcoming Nevermore show, based on Edgar Allen Poe's immortal poem, "The Raven".

I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of this show, as I've been a fan of Poe, and especially this poem since I was a kid.  I remember reading it in elementary school on my own, and being fascinated by the imagery it conjured in my head.

And then I memorized it after seeing the episode of "The Simpsons" where they did their own version of The Raven in a Halloween special; Bart was the raven, and Homer, the narrator.

I still can't read the poem or imagine the words without hearing Homer's voice in my head!

For my version, I decided to focus on the idea of the raven being seen as a demon; evil, taunting the narrator, like a "devil bird".  Poe refers to books that the narrator is reading, alluding that they are about the occult, or black magic, so I decided to give my albino raven ghostly horns, and added the Death and Devil tarot cards.  I added champagne colored roses, which mean "devotion" in Floriography, since the overarching theme of the poem is undying devotion.

My raven is perched on the bust of Pallus, where her face is that of the long departed Lenore; the narrator's lost love that he cannot forget.

The show accompanies the amazing new work of one of my favorite artists, Leilani Bustamante, and there are many more of my favorite artists showing in the Nevermore show as well!

Check it out this Saturday in San Francisco!