Diana, Ember Wings

After Frida Kahlo's Me and my Parrots, this portrait of Diana reimagines Frida Kahlo’s iconic Me and My Parrots through an Australian lens, blending the visual language of symbolism and identity with native wildlife. Though Diana owns a Brazilian parrot in real life, the four birds that surround her here are wild Australian parrots — chosen not for realism, but for resonance. Each parrot represents a glowing ember of Diana’s spirit: resilience, grace, boldness, and empathy. Their presence is not ornamental but elemental — they are wings forged from the fire of lived experience, echoing the emotional landscape that surrounds her. By combining portraiture with metaphor, Diana, Ember Wings invites viewers to look beyond likeness. It suggests that identity is not fixed, but flickering — like embers that carry warmth, memory, and potential for flight. Created from life, and with Diana’s presence and collaboration, this painting becomes not just a visual record, but a story told in symbols, silence, and winged spirit.