A New Tattoo on a Fairy's Hand

The illustration I made for the poem Tinsel Twinkle Toe Fairy belies the rather cynical nature of the poem. The poem satirized the cult of optimism in the United States which informs people that they may have their hearts desire just by wishing for it. The idea is rather deeply rooted in the American psyche. Recall the film The Wizard of Oz...the scene at the end of the film when the good witch Glenda tells Dorothy that she always had the power to go home. "She just didn’t want it badly enough." the good witch tells us. At least that is what I recall. And even watching the film as a child, I always felt that this line flew in the face of logic and how life actually worked.

Despite the fact that I don’t adhere to national proclivities when it comes to a way of looking at life, I am influenced by the opinions of others. It was the opinion of my graphic designer that the tattoos I placed on the hands of the Lioness in my revised detail of that illustration were a good addition. So I dittoed that and made a tattoo on the hand of the Fairy and added a ring as well in my revised detail. Perhaps adding changes to what should be an enlarged portion of the illustration flies in the face of logic.

The detail revisions give me plenty of opportunity to embellish on an original idea, sharpen the graphics, and generally get creative. I have reproduced the original illustration above along with the revised detail portion at right for comparison.