Gouache, Ink, Monotype on linen
14 x 14”
According to Cherokee legend, Wren is the messenger. Through song, she calls out the news of the day. Wren shows up in this new body of work, posing inquiries, warning us of what is to come.
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What does it mean when the native species of our earth have fallen one by one?
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And when we arrive at a time when these species have long since gone, what relationship will we have? Will we remember each of their names, as we once did?
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Okeechobee Gourd, Wild Red Trillium, Hooded Pitcher Plant, the Prairie White Fringed Orchid…
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Will we know how we once woke early to harvest the blossoms that only open in the morning…later returning home to dry them over the sun-warmed stones near the river? And how we brought them to the hearth to brew into medicine and gave thanks?
This painting titled “Alarum :: Cradle“ is a gauche, ink and monotype on stretched linen. The imagery depicts the wren’s nest, with a strand of barbed wire woven into it. A sun circle at the top represents honesty and clarity. Seven eggs represents the seven clans, the seven directions (North, East, South, West, the lower world, the upper world, and the world where people live), and it symbolizes attainment of purity and sacredness.