Wednesday 10 August 2016

The Bird in Borrowed Feathers

The Bird in Borrowed Feathers 1m x 1.2m Mixed Media on panel





I don't know how many people are familiar with this old fable...it's been attributed to several authors but it's generally thought of as one of Aesops Fables. The short explanation of it is that the crow spots the fancy peacocks struttin' their stuff in the King's garden and thinks he'd like to be one of them instead of a boring old crow (personally I love crows). So he picks up some of their fallen feathers and puts them in amongst his own, he then joins in with the general strutting and showing off. The Peacocks quickly spot the imposter and promptly pull out the 'borrowed feathers' and some of his own to boot. The crow flies away in shame, back to the other crows, who decide they don't want him around either if he thinks he's too good for them! Originally it was a cautionary tale about not reaching beyond your station or 'punching above your weight' or something along those lines. To me though, it feels more like the Peacocks are the bad guys in this, too insecure to share the limelight. I feel like all the 'crows' out there should remember that it's what's underneath those feathers that is your true measure :) I placed the semi hidden eyes in the background to represent myself  and all the other 'crows' out there, Cheers!