I was talking with a friend, who has been through a lot in her 82 years. In our conversation, the image of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, came to me in response to where she is today in her life. I decided I'd like to do this image for her Christmas present. I looked up images of Firebirds and Phoenixs on the internet, finding quite a few, and loving the Russian style of illustration. I noticed that the bird was often drawn in a curved profile, with the wings spread in one direction and the body and tail flowing in the other direction. This made me think that the profile gave a shape reminiscent of the Yin/Yang symbol. Then I also realized that the images I had seen made no reference to the ashes, and as my friend and I had discussed, the ashes are important because it is from these black experiences that we grow and evolve - these difficult experiences give a valuable gift! So, as the Yin/Yang symbol has a white spot in the black area and a black spot in the white area, it seemed perfect for this idea of the Phoenix. What I realized during the drawing process, was that the Phoenix was carrying a Pearl of Great Wisdom, in place of the black spot in the white area, which I had painted a pale blue! In the black area, there is a space from where the pearl has been taken - it was a different image of the Yin/Yang, but even more perfect in its representation of the rising from the ashes story!
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