Bird of Omen

With sunflower-inspired wings and small myrtle branches at its feet, the gouache of this fantasty bird was inspired by the following old occult French text 0f 1814: the "Prophecy of Ahmed-Ben-Cassam-Al-Andacosy; On the appearance of a mathematician." The source of this text is not known, but it struck my fancy.
I created the piece for the juried exhibit "Imagine that!" through a call to artists at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum Art Institute in Arizona, in 2009.
The piece was bought as a present from a mother to her young daughter. She loved the hint of the gold gouache glitter on the bird's appearance; it added to its magic.

© Gusta van Dobbenburgh