"Tis Year 26" : Original Artwork by Karien Bredenkamp
"This Year 26" : Mat Boards that Original and Limited Edition Prints get shipped in

"This Year 26"

$39.00
Print Or Original?:Limited Edition Print
Quantity:
Only 49 units left

Prints: Limited edition of 50

About The Artwork:

"This Year 26" is a bold black-and-white art piece that celebrates the energy of transformation, freedom, and passion. A hybrid horse and bird creature sits atop a burning birdcage, its mane made of flames, the cage door open beneath it. This whimsical black-and-white art piece is the third in an annual Chinese Zodiac series and channels the fierce, untameable spirit of the Fire Horse with symbolic depth and visual intensity.

The horse is one of the most powerful symbols across world mythologies, representing freedom, courage, and forward momentum. In Chinese astrology, the Horse is associated with adventure, independence, and an irrepressible drive toward new horizons. Those born under the Horse are said to be energetic, passionate, and resistant to constraint. In Greek mythology, horses pull the chariot of the sun across the sky, connecting them to ambition and illumination. Across cultures, the horse consistently represents the will to move, to break free, and to follow one's own direction without apology.

Birds symbolize transcendence, perspective, and the liberation of the spirit. In many traditions, they serve as messengers between worlds, carrying prayers, omens, or wisdom between the earthly and the divine. The ability to fly has made birds universal symbols of freedom and the aspiration to rise above limitation. In "This Year 26," the bird aspect of the creature suggests that this is not just physical movement but spiritual ascent, a rising toward something greater than what has come before.

Fire is one of the oldest and most layered symbols in human culture, representing both destruction and renewal, passion and purification. In Chinese astrology, the Fire element intensifies the qualities of whatever sign it accompanies, adding heat, urgency, and transformative power. In alchemy, fire burns away what is no longer needed, leaving only what is essential. Many traditions also associate fire with creativity, desire, and the life force itself. In "This Year 26," the flames are not destructive but generative, a mane of passion that illuminates the path forward rather than consuming it.

The birdcage is a potent symbol of confinement, protection, and the tension between safety and freedom. In art and literature, cages often represent the structures we build around ourselves or that others build around us, whether social, emotional, or psychological. They can feel like shelter until the moment they feel like a prison. The open door of the cage in this piece is the critical detail. It is not broken or forced. It simply stands open, suggesting that the choice to leave has always been available, and that the Fire Horse does not escape so much as simply choose to go.

Together, these elements tell a story of ignited potential and chosen liberation. The hybrid creature does not look back at the burning cage beneath it. It sits atop the very structure that once contained it, transformed by fire rather than destroyed by it. "This Year 26" can be read as an invitation to let passion lead, to release rigid frameworks that no longer serve growth, and to trust that what burns away was never truly essential. This black and white art piece honors the courage it takes to open the door and step into the heat of becoming.

"She's mad, but she's magic. There's no lie in her fire." ― Charles Bukowski