Adapted posthumously from the original oil on canvas.

Freebird, a long sold-out limited edition, depicts a yellow Seussian bird, sailing contentedly midst waves rolling against a rosy sky, his incredibly long tail floating high above him.

The other significant rendering of Ted Geisel’s ocean view, Firebird, uses the same elements but with a far different implication. Here his flame-red bird is focused, navigating with great resolve the invigorating seas of life.

Though Dr. Seuss’s books have an ingenious quality of effortless simplicity, he worked painstakingly hard to accomplish the appearance of whimsy and ease. Freebird seems to present the quality of effortless simplicity and Firebird the hard work needed to attain it.

Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated forty-four books before his death at age eighty-seven in 1991. In 1973, he wrote the text for My Many Colored Days—his book about feelings and moods. In 1992 Audrey Geisel brought the text of My Many Colored Days to the attention of his editor. On the flyleaf of the posthumously published book, Audrey is quoted: “Ted had a panoramic view of ocean and land from his study, and he found the constantly changing patterns of light and color fascinating. He liked to compare the ‘mood,’ or color, of the day to his own emotional barometer setting.”