I completed another piece in the new series I'm working on. The series itself seems to be moving fluidly in many different directions, and I hesitate to define my ideas rather than just enjoy the creative journey and let them come out organically with time.

On a side note, I'm so thankful I have so many awesome students who are willing to be my models and humor me and my weird ideas. Being a high school art teacher has a lot of perks, and the endless supply of people willing to let me use them as subjects is certainly one of them.

The bird in this drawing is a Cuckoo bird which has engaging symbolism. It is known for its tendency to be brood parasite, because they will lay their eggs in the nests of other birds. Their chicks will then hatch and instinctively knock the other eggs out of the nest. They are tricky little jerks, that's for sure. Cuckoos remind me of the beautiful, yet savage moments of trickery in life.

One thing I loved about making this piece was the use of the gilding paint. It's my new favorite obsession right now. I love the way it changes the dimension of the piece depending on what direction you are viewing it from. It gives the illusion that the drawing is in a constant state of change, an ebb and flow to its story.

This piece is 18"x24" and completed with Caran D'Ache Graphite, Martha Stewart Gilding Paint, on Strathmore 400 series paper.