Art Practice - 2023 13

Phoenix is always a pretty evocative prompt. The shape of a bird with the lively affects of flames is rarely static and usually slightly commanding. Phoenixes have long been some of my favorite motifs, though it's not always easy to pose it in a way that always translates to bird. Tombstone, on the other hand, while also an interesting prompt, has a very different feeling. It's heavy, robust, and hard. The combination is somewhat difficult, which dominates?

Well, the phoenix dominates in my case. I don't spend enough time around tombstones to get any interesting ideas about designing one. It's somewhat macabre. I wanted to keep the looming presence of the tombstone though and ended up having not a lot of space for the phoenix. In a way, the phoenix now resembles a dragon in posture, but otherwise I would have to scale down the tombstone, which would take away from the effect.

Clean up did this thing a good number of favours. Usually I like the pencil sketch, but effects in pencil just blur into too much chaos. I've gotten a good amount of practice drawing fire ever since I've started this, but I'm quite happy with that aspect in particular.

A ground and the last few details hopefully help balance the framing a little, even if I have no real shading. That fire radiates light is of course a nice and convenient bonus that gives me a neat excuse not to add it either.

From ashes buried six feet down

a little light still wanders

buried in a faded gown,

a feather, wrapped, once squandered.

The spark lights lace and wool alight

a spiral blasts to heaven

and hidden under depths from sight

the phoenix calls, ascension.