31 Paintings in 31 Days - Day Twelve

"Percival At Rest" - watercolor, ink on paper, 16" x 12"

The theme this month is "serendipity."   And so far, you've seen quite a wide variety of creatures, styles and stories!  Let's see what happens with this proud peafowl.

My son, a scholar, actor, artist and the person I want to be in my next life,  walked through my studio yesterday and said "I want a peacock."  And luckily he meant for me to paint one, not for us to own one.  (Phew!)  He is a wise old soul in a young person's body, so I try not to dismiss things he says.  But this one was really out of my wheelhouse.  Peacocks?  Anyway, I found a lovely victorian illustration of a fancy bird which had me enthralled by the doodle possibilities for his amazing tail.  Within a couple of hours, the sketch was done, watercolor drying and my inking pens ready to go.  And approximately six solid hours of doodling later, Percival's tail was a glorious tangled tattoo on the page.

Of course, this had me wondering....what could a peacock mean to me?  The Persians viewed peafowl as guardians of royalty (not me).  The ancient Greeks saw them as a symbol of immortality (um, again, not me).  The Greek goddess Hera had peacocks pulling her chariot (if you see a black Prius being pulled by peacocks down Providence Rd, then it's me.  Otherwise, not me).  Peafowl are associated with paradise and the Tree of Life (I love the one in Animal Kingdom at Disney World....but no peacocks there).  Peacock feathers are used for healing in Shamanic rituals (I am not a Shaman today).

So there was one interesting aspect of a peacock as a spirit animal which resonated with me.  "If a peacock has come across your path, it is here to remind you that nothing, including beauty, should be taken too seriously.  This will help you stay centered on what is, and be grateful for what you have."   Now I cannot have enough reminders to be grateful.  It is immediately calming and grounding.  But what I am truly getting from this bit of advice is that today is the day to go bare-faced, throw a ballcap over my hair and not worry too much about how I look.  And I think all the ladies should join me.

This piece is SOLD.