Gallery

This little watercolor came into being in summer 2005. At that time, a host of feathers fallen from various birds caught my eye during my walks around the neighborhood; frequently they crossed my path, literally, because they would be sitting on the sidewalk, seeming to ask to be picked up before my feet carried me onward. They always inspired me with thoughts of birds and their long association with the sky, the air element, and the heavens. In many cultures, birds symbolize our connection to the Divine, serving as messengers between Heaven and Earth. In this case, the feather made me think of the ancient Egyptian goddess Ma'at, whose name means truth and who personifies the order that came out of the primordial chaos. Every person came face to face with Ma'at after death, when she weighed the individual's soul (represented by the person's heart) in a set of scales...with the other scale holding a white feather...