"Mourning Dove" Screenprinted Tote Bag

I've encountered many a deceased bird in my day; it's a common occurrence in Chicago with so many windows in the way of well-worn migration paths. Each of those birds has offered a chance to glimpse the colorful secrets of beings who would otherwise never be still enough to divulge. The perfect iron russet of a robin's breast. A female indigo bunting, clothed in green ochre as a foil to her cyanotic mate. The most minute and iridescent jewel of a feather on the cheek of a male mourning dove, a radiant rainbow against a sea of matte taupe. The delicate, hollowed out skull of a mourning warbler, ivory against crisp yellow, carved out by ants. The ants are always present on every tiny corpse, acting as pious pilgrims, fighting past purge to worship at the body of the feast of their lifetime. Only in death are these secrets glimpsed, and only should one take the time to sit and offer their solace.

This mourning dove is a revision of an old logo of mine, a love song to every dead bird I've found. Keeping true to the name, its been paired with viola flowers designed in the style of Victorian mourning hair art. Violas, and their mother the violet, represented faithfulness in the Victorian flower language, and were a common addition to graveside mourning imagery.

This is a 15" x 14" cotton blend tote bag made from recycled materials, and hand printed by the artist using a 2 color process. Due to the hand printed nature of these bags, variations may occur between bags.