Rite of Passage Original Oil Painting

Rite of Passage is a painting that depicts the transformation of the legendary black swan. In this piece the dancer is mid metamorphosis. The flowers at the bottom are black hellebores. Black hellebores are a plant steeped in dark magical lore. You can find stories of these blooms being used in small quantities as medicine or that medieval witches used them in an ointment that could make them fly or a powder that made them invisible. You can find them used to poison prominent people of the past or you can see them used in protection spells. This oft misunderstood plant is a perfect symbol for the equally misunderstood black swan (there’s even a variety of them named black swan.) For as much as they are associated with their dark past, they also are a sign of hope. You’ll find them blooming up from the darkness and bursting through the fresh white snow to show the first signs that spring is on its way. This painting is in a frame, contact me to purchase without the frame. 

22x28 inches

oil on canvas 

2023