Model: Bubbler Brett Manning

SYMBOLISM:

From the Black Butterfly series, charcoal on mylar drafting film, with white backing paper 19 × 32″

From a reference photo self-portrait by Redbubble friend Brett Manning, aka brettisagirl. The piece is inspired by Brett’s artistic “muses” (the butterflies) art, fashion, design, illustration, drawing, her Frankie, coffee, chocolate, her kitties, her puppies, and 60’s music, especially Bob Dylan. The butterflies are “ideas” that flutter around her head. The necklace is a nod to fashion, and to the lyric in Bob Dylan’s tune of the same name. “The World’s Biggest Necklace” is also from Egyptian mythology.

There are eleven butterflies, symbolic for myself and my ten siblings.

“Isis” lyrics by Bob Dylan:

I married Isis on the fifth day of May,
But I could not hold on to her very long.

So I cut off my hair and I rode straight away
For the wild unknown country where I could not go wrong.

I came to a high place of darkness and light.

The dividing line ran through the center of town.

I hitched up my pony to a post on the rise,
Went in to a laundry to wash my clothes down.

A man in the corner approached me for a match.

I knew right away he was not ordinary.

He said, “Are you lookin’ for somethin’ easy to catch?”
I said, “I got no money.” He said, "That ain’t necessary.
"

We set out that night for the cold in the North.

I gave him my blanket, he gave me his word.

I said, “Where are we goin’?” He said we’d be back by the fourth.

I said, "That’s the best news that I’ve ever heard.
"

I was thinkin’ about turquoise, I was thinkin’ about gold,
I was thinkin’ about diamonds and the world’s biggest necklace.

As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold,
I was thinkin’ about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless.