Page 14 - The Art of Knowing Studio Fiber Art Portfolio

TITLE: Pious Pelicans

MEDIUM: Wool Fiber, feathers, dried grass

SIZE: 56” X 31”

PRICE: $3,440

Shadow box frame to accommodate depth of artwork, with
“rope” trim

“A lot of guys like to go to the beach and bring a crowd,
but not me. I like to be alone and out there with a couple
of pelicans.” – Robert Englund

Pelicans should be superheroes. The American White stands 4 feet tall with a 9 foot wingspan. Seriously?
The Brown Pelican has superhero vision and can see beneath the ocean surface flying 60 feet above.
Really? The Peruvian Pelican can plunge beak-first into the sea at horrifying speeds from several stories
high! Are you kidding? According to medieval myth, when food grew scarce, mother pelicans would
stab themselves on the breast with their beaks and use the blood to feed their chicks. The lore of
bloodletting pelicans resonated with Christian artists, who likened the motion to the sacrifice of
Jesus on humanity’s behalf--thus the Pious Pelican. More likely, Dalmatian pelicans, which turn
an orange-reddish color during the breeding season, may have been sited preening and perceived
they were in fact bleeding. I’m still sayin’. When will we have The Pelican superhero?