heron + snake

'heron + snake'

oil on canvas

16 in x 20 in

the battle between the heron and the snake is such an absolutely metal encounter. every time i see a heron the word that comes to mind is: elegance. they just seem like such classy beings. in many cultures they are seen as feminine, magical spirits; symbolizing transendence and independence, sovereign beings existing in the liminal spaces between land, air, and water.  so i often associate them as such in my mind. similar to the sparkles that sun creates on water, glittery and ethereal. and then when i learned about how they will snatch a snake and beat it to a pulp until its dead or drown it and then swallow it whole i was like......wow, hell ya. the snake will often wrap itself around the herons beak in an effort to survive, but the heron typically wins. (although there is one clip out on the interwebs of a heron swallowing an eel snake that then bit its way out through the herons chest, but that heron carried on for quite some time like nothing had happened with this eel snake just dangling from its open chest....wild) elegant and ferocious, poised but brutal. herons are not flock birds. they're fiercely independent, they aren't anti social creatures...but they thrive on their own, and i myself feel akin to them in that way. sometimes it's a lonely road, but there can be beauty and a whole lot to learn in times of solitude. anyways, ya, i really like herons, and i'm sure you do too, there's so much to learn from them. birds are tiiight.