Near Vedauwoo, Wyoming, 12 x 12 Oil on Canvas The rock formations in this area of Wyoming are truly mystical. The rocks look playfully stacked, as if by a giant. My painting doesn’t show the scope and scale of these rocks very well…people come from all over the world to climb them. The rise from the …
Buford Wyoming Exit, 12 x 12 Oil on Canvas I researched the unique rock formations at Vedauwoo, so that was the first planned stop in my painting schedule. This area is to the east of Laramie. This amazing area is destination to many rock climbers and hikers (and artists!) The Wiki website has some nice photos of the park: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedauwoo …
To paint in Plein Air means to paint on site… in the open air. This type of painting brings the artist out of the studio, and the challenge is to capture the essence of the location before it inevitably changes.
“Ghost Dance Shirt” 12 x 36” Oil on Clayboard The inspiration for this painting is a period Northern Cheyenne Native American Ghost Dance Shirt. Adorned with traditional beading, hair, quill work and rawhide fringe, this shirt was intended to protect the wearer and bring forth the strength of the ancestors. The petroglyphs imagery incorporated into the painting is symbolic of …
Symbolically, the bison is evident in the Native culture, and the most sacred of all was the white bison. Once the bison herds were driven to near extinction, this way of life ended.
Sharing a love of the colorful western culture to bring out your inner cowboy/cowgirl!
Thunderbirds are held in great reverence in many Native American cultures. This legendary bird was believed to possess supernatural strength, and that thunder was caused by the beating of the wings, resulting in wind.
Once an artist has stood on the spot, breathed in the air and heard the sounds native to a particular location, it all comes back when seeing the art: I love that!
In Wyoming, on BLM land (Bureau of Land Management, or B.L.M. Land) I have been able to witness this. There, many horses are released into the wild, and this symbol of freedom can be experienced yet today.
Symbols lend sense of belonging and order. In America, we tend to still identify with where we came from…” My mother was English and my father was Irish” for example.