Oil and gold leaf on wood, 16” x 12”

The bird Jon chose for this painting is a violet backed starling.  Jon read that in some cultures, starlings, and other birds, are messengers from the spirit world.  Using that idea, he imagined it as a medium, sending a message between the physical and spirit worlds.  The bird is perched on the skeleton hand as if it were being whispered to from the dead.  Jon incorporated Tehuana flowers and Barro Negro in the background as a reference to the Mexican/Spanish cultural traditions.