To Dream of Unfulfilled Desires

For Witches of East End contest;
I wanted to create a highly occult piece that pulled from both Poe and Witches of East End.

The raven acts as a messenger and carries a mirror, objects often used for scrying, and shows the heart's true nature. It's lament, as a symbol. The mirror is framed in an Ouroboros, which is a sigil of integration of ones self and opposite nature. Devouring and consuming force which swallows you and feeds you at once. Death, and then new life, endlessly. I also chose an Ouroboros because Witches of East End's use of a "Serpens Calvem" - a serpent key. This allowed me to use the ouroboros as a key and guardian of a gateway, where the mirror is that gate, leading to inner wisdoms and secrets. This piece was inspired by both The Raven and the Tell-Tell Heart, for the threads they have in common. That is.. torture by your own regrets and grief. I expanded upon that with an Icelandic Magical Stave called 'Draumstafir', shown in the heart. It means "to dream of unfulfilled desires."


My favorite lines from the two --
Leave my loneliness unbroken!- quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!

And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over acuteness of the senses? --now, I say, there came to my ears a low, dull, quick sound, such as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I knew that sound well, too. It was the beating of the old man's heart. It increased my fury, as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage.

Info about medium -
Heart and Mirror Glass - Watercolor pencils.
Mirror Frame and Bird - Sharpee, Bic pen, & Watercolor brush pens.
Background - digitally-altered version of a texture painting I did, acrylic on canvas.
Editing - image was tinkered and clean up in GIMP.