Battle with the Crow

I did a series of works, including the banner I recently blogged about, which deal with the local legend of how our area landmark, Crow Peak, got it’s name. This is a block print, rendered from a painting that I especially love.

The rivalry between the Crow and Sioux tribes goes well back before the white man invaded the land.  The stories of these early battles are recorded on both Sioux and Crow winter counts and passed down narriatively.

Mankind has enemies that go way back in time.  Look at Egypt and Israel.  Back in the news: back rattling sabers, wary of one another’s intentions.  Look at virtually any country on this earth, and you will see another in it’s sites: unsure and uneasy.

Spearfish Creek in Winter

This block print is of our beautiful local Spearfish Creek, running through nearby Spearfish Canyon.  The textures and contrast of this engraving appeal to me, as does the reflection in the water.  It captures the cold and snowy, yet magical winter scene playing out right now.

Spearfish Canyon has always been a healing place for me.  Somehow, I can breath more deeply and can feel life more fully when I am there.  I am fortunate to have this just outside of the little town in which I live, free for my enjoyment any time I chose… why don’t I chose to go there more often?

I have been known to take my watercolors, and paint on site there.  It is actually a form of meditation.  Right in the heart of the Black Hills of South Dakota.  While visiting the French Alps once, I was determined to paint every day, so found myself walking around a very quaint alpine village, painting outdoors in the winter.  Despite having the water on my palette crystallize and my fingers and toes getting cold,  the entire experience was eye-opening.  Why don’t I do this in Spearfish?  So, I have… both painted and photographed more in the winter, from this revelation.  I painted some fun little watercolors at Terry Peak, the local mountain ski lift, and did some action shots of snowboarders.  More to come: I believe winter is here for awhile yet…!

Printmaking

I have been working on a series of block prints.  I love texture and sharp contrasts in my art, so this is a fun avenue to pursue.  I did this particular one awhile back: it was the forerunner of the next ones I will post.

On a trip to France, I was walking on the grounds, and there was a slow-moving stream within a grove of trees.  The sun was shining down and reflecting on the water.  It made an interesting photo, and I later wanted to explore the idea in printmaking.

I have struggled with how I feel about prints in general, but this is a hand-pulled, limited edition run of this engraving, which I see as totally different from mass-produced prints which are done by machine.  Thoughts?  Is anyone out there?

A New Artwork

This painting was created specifically for a local micro brewery, Crow Peak Brewery.  They have been open a very short time, yet are going like “gang busters”.  I hang my artwork there, and had long envisioned this piece to hang next to the lovely stone fireplace there.  Many local musicians perform here, and it is a popular gathering spot.  The product they make is amazing and varied: they often have new lagers, ale and beer, and with a name like Crow Peak Brewery, you can count on great names for these brews!

“Homage to Crow Peak” is the name of the painting.  It is an Acrylic on Canvas, hung like a scroll and measures a sizable   5’ x 7’.

The Native American tribe known as the Crow Indians call themselves “Apsa‘ alooke”, translated into “children of the large beaked bird”, miss-translated to “Crow People” by early Frenchmen.  Now, the tribe is known largely as Crow.

Outside of Spearfish, SD is a mountain named Crow Peak.  The mountain’s name derives from a battle between the Crow and the Sioux American Indian tribes.  According to legend, the Sioux won this great battle.  This painting depicts this legend of the mountain.  Included is a phoenix-like black crow, rising up after the battle.

The Native American tribe known as the Crow Indians call themselves “Apsa‘ alooke”, translated into “children of the large beaked bird”, miss-translated to “Crow People” by early Frenchmen.  Now, the tribe is known largely as Crow.

Outside of Spearfish, SD is a mountain named Crow Peak.  The mountain’s name derives from a battle between the Crow and the Sioux American Indian tribes.  According to legend, the Sioux won this great battle.  This painting depicts this legend of the mountain.  Included is a phoenix-like black crow, rising up after the battle.

Ceremonial Circles

Sioux Shield“Ceremonial Circles” 11 x 30” Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

The circle is a powerful symbol.

It is found in both ancient and modern imagery, as it is central to mankind.  It has no beginning: it has no end.  It is found in many regional petroglyphs carvings, such as these from the Castle Gardens Petroglyph site.

The shield depicted in this painting is a Gros Ventre artifact. The Gros Ventre Indians resided in the Montana region, and were later relocated to reservation land that they were to share with the Assinboine tribe.  This reservation is called The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation.  The Gros Ventre and Assinboine groups were historical enemies of one another…

Horse Dance

Dancing horses“Horse Dance” 11 x 30” Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

Four figures on horseback comprise the top portion of this painting, as inspired by a painting by Kills Two, an Oglala Sioux. (Circa 1920 – 30)  His imagery renders four horsemen in a ceremonial context.

I am inspired by the magic of his image.  In my watercolor painting, I am pairing an interpretation of this image along with a unique Sioux artifact, owned by the Museum of American Indians.  This buffalo hide and horn adornment was for a horse, possibly to be worn and exhibited as in Kills Two painting.

Taking these images out of their historical context for reflection, this painting is rendered to suggest the passage of time and the blurring of memory.  Without recall, these magical moments from the past are lost.  How many moments from our current world are being lost to time.   Seemingly, we are recording more and more, such as I am here.  Posting it for the world to access, but then, is it lost to time, getting jumbled with all of the information out there.  Do the high resolution digital images I am taking of my paintings survive the test of time?  Digital images fade, as do photographic ones, in time.   My childhood photos are but a mere shadow this lifetime’s span hence they were taken… especially the color ones.  Early color photography is definitely not a permanent record.

Regardless, the memories and context of things from the past are inevitably lost over time.  My reinterpretation of them in the context of 2011 is my art.

Leaving One’s Mark

Moccasin“Leaving One’s Mark ” 11 x 18” Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

The artistic act of living out one’s life authentically influences what you are recording of your unique history on this earth. This is a recurring theme in my art.  I am inspired by messages carved and painted into rock by early occupants of this earth.  Petroglyphs must be read intuitively, as thre isn’t a firm translation for most of them.  Educated guesses and links by association… but also, humanly intuitive.  Intuitive art.

History repeats itself, and nothing is truly original anymore… I just got back from a trip to Scottsdale galleries, and must say, that although the art was very good, I found very little that I felt was truly original.  Inspired by artist masters, copied from contemporary works… authenticity is hard to find.

Of course, I feel MY work is original, yet, I am relying on art from the past as a catalyst to my thoughts about the present.  Mankind’s experiences in living upon this earth haven’t changed all that much… there is still the need to record life events, and to leave one’s mark.

Message Behind the Shield

“Message Behind the Shield” 11 x 32” Watercolor & Gouache on Paper
The years pass… now it is 2011!  Markers for events from each year on this earth have been left by mankind, and continue to be discovered and analyzed today.  A life lived, a need to record it, appears to be a human trait.

Objects contain stories, and nothing sparks my curiosity more than ancient artifacts.  Stories in stone are found engraved into rock walls, called petroglyphs, all across the region in which I live.  These amazing images were apparently placed there in ceremony or to convey a message.  They continue to hold importance today, despite the fact that their original meaning has been lost to time.

The petroglyphs depicted in this painting are found at the Freemont Indian State Park in Utah.  The prominence of these carvings tell a story that modern man can only infer from, yet speaks to all just the same.  Pictured on the rock walls are many circular shapes, suggesting shields and ceremony.  The prominence of spirals in many petroglyphs samples tells of the importance this symbol had.

Whether these carvings told a story of battle or were a warning to safeguard those who came upon them later, the circular shield is added to the painting to emphasize mankind’s desire for safety and protection: mankind’s need to record the story and to convey a message.

In Harmony

Buffalo Hide Tipi“In Harmony” 11 x 30” Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

The converging lines and natural elements incorporated onto a tipi are the inspiration to which I am drawn.  I strive to explore the texture and shape of the tipi. I love the natural textures of wood, hide and sinew.

Observing this form has led to my reflecting upon the harmonic way of life in which the original North American inhabitants lived.  They lived sparsely and moved with their food source, the bison.  The bison provided not only food, but were a source of implements, clothing and shelter as well.  The native people drew strength from the land and lived in harmony within in.  As resources in our modern world become increasingly scarce, it is imperative that we recognize the wisdom of previous eras and draw knowledge from the past.  That being, the importance of living in harmony with the earth.

With this holiday season, may you find harmony and balance in your life.  Wishing everyone who reads this a wonderful Christmas, celebrating the love mankind is capable of!

The Year the Stars Fell

Sioux Winter count about a meteor shower“The Year the Stars Fell” 11 x 30” Watercolor and Gouache on Paper

The winter of 1833 – 34 was known to many Plains Indian Tribes as “The Year the Stars Fell”.  That year, the Leonid meteor storm was recorded in numerous Indian calendars, called winter counts.  A winter count was kept by various tribes, as a pictorial reminder of what was deemed the most important event of that year.  These years were recorded from winter to winter, thus the name.

This particular year, 1833, is significant.  Because this spectacular stellar event was recorded by so many tribes, it becomes an accurate date marker in which to count forward and backward in today’s analysis of historic winter counts. “The Year the Stars Fell” is a form of Rosetta Stone in Native American archeological research.

Just last night was a rare event: a lunar eclipse during the night of the winter solstice… hasn’t happened in centuries!  In case you were not able to see it, here is a link showing some video of it: