Murmuration
“Murmuration” Acrylic on paper. by Sheeba Maya ©2023.
Self Portraits + Symbols
Over the last year or so, I’ve noticed 2 themes come up a lot..
Black birds + Self portraits
In general I would say I have a thing for black flora and fauna. Black birds especially intrigue me. I like the sound of crows on damp dark mornings. I think we’re taught to think of them as ominous creatures….signs of something terrible to come.
But there’s something appealing about this trope that I fully embrace. There is something powerfully calming about their presence to me. A steady, unapologetic, infallible presence at the edge of darkness. Ever ready…
The black bird in this piece is a starling. This one is my familiar in this piece. He represents my shadow self/intuition looking after me. She stays close to my ear and my heart at all times. She represents the necessity for groundedness…even with the power to fly.
Starlings are known for flying in flocks that create those trippy formations. This formation is indicated here in the hair as it desolves into the sky. There is a disintegration happening but really its and orderly breakaway from a former self.
There are lots of unfinished bits here….representing unfinished business. That I am present, whole and a tangible part of the bigger picture…the world around me…the Universe. But I am still a work in progress…
There is more to come from me…and I’m ready.
