Free to Be

The saying, "May you live in interesting times" certainly applies to now. So many things going on and sometimes, the world can seem bleak. Yet there is beauty all around us. In creating this painting, I wanted to do something symbolic that would give a sense of hope. I imagined an all gray setting – sky, sea and sand. Certainly far from cheery! And in that setting, I wanted to have a woman in a long red dress holding a bird cage and flying out of it would be a seagull. What the seagull was doing in the bird cage to begin with is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the woman has magical powers and there are multiple seagulls flying out of the cage, up into the sky. The scene evokes a sense of freedom and tranquility against the backdrop of a serene seaside. To me, we should all be free to be – whoever we are and wherever our destinies take us.