The Bird of Zhar is a Ukrainian folktale involving a bird with magical fire-feathers that give the protagonist the ability to accomplish impossible tasks. I created this design as an improvement on an earlier mosaic from 2012 called Marushka.
Marushka is from a Russian legend where a humble and beautiful female artist becomes the obsession of a nefarious magician, but when she rejects his advances, he turns her into a Firebird and himself into a bird of prey, and he tries to take her by force, carrying her high above the clouds. She sheds her fiery feathers and dies in his talons, but the magical feathers fall all over the earth, spreading beauty and art where they land. This piece also references the legend of the Phoenix, which most people are familiar with, and was the original Firebird legend, originating in ancient Phoenicia. The Phoenix is immortal, dying, but always rising again from flames.
To me, each of these stories has relevance as metaphors for the situation in Ukraine so I used the colors of the Ukrainian flag, but I also kept the imagery deliberately broad because the imminent threat of authoritarianism is global, and I feel the bird represents a hope for freedom and democracy to prevail.
This is one of my larger free-hanging mosaic artworks; 3′ x 2′ on foam core tile board, so it’s quite lightweight. I finished it just in time to deliver to the Washington Center for Performing Arts for a group show that will be available to view on April 28 through June 25. Viewing is by appointment only and you can email info@washingtoncenter.org or call 360-753-8586 to set up a time.
$500 of the sale of this piece will be donated to the Good Neighbor Network, which is a nonprofit based in Hillsboro, OR, run by the family of my friend Denny Nkemontoh, who is in Poland delivering aid and comfort to teen refugees as I write.
