Bluebird of Happiness
Mixed Media on Wood
2013
Here's another throwback, all the way back to 2013. It's hard to believe it's been eleven years since I painted Bluebird of Happiness, yet here we are!
She was created by first affixing a sheet of Stonehenge printmaker's paper to a wood panel, giving that a wash of ink, then drawing the portrait in graphite. I then sealed the drawing with workable fixative, and went in with colored pencil, more ink, and graphite details. Then I glued on some embroidery floss for the details on her garment using ModPodge, and added some acrylic embellishments and highlights.
If you've ever seen the movie K-PAX, you might remember the scenes in which a patient at the mental hospital is given the task of waiting patiently for a "bluebird of happiness" to appear. To my mind, this is one of the subtle — yet profound — examples of conscious manifestation in popular media. Often, we don't notice our desires coming into being because we're too busy looking at the things we don't want. So our wishes remain just out of reach, and out of sight.
But they're always there. Just wait, and know that what you want is available to you. As Neville might say, "what you want, wants you too".
Thank you for visiting my little painting, and reading these few words.