Jill Exell - I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings -

This piece is a tribute to all caged birds who have lost their freedom to spread their wings. This verse, from the poem Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar, (in the public domain) expresses this so well:“I know why the caged bird sings,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
When he beats his bars and would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea that upward to heaven he flings, I know why the caged bird sings.”

Materials and techniques:
Background constructed from own painted and dyed fabrics.
Appliqué, machine stitch and pen.

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