Eco Art Paintings – Dream Quest Series

Dream catchers with freely moving icons suspended over paintings and large wall hangings of painted buffalos are channels through which I share my continuing exploration of universal connections between human spirituality, the non-human animal world and harmony with the environment.  It is my hope that these colorful paintings will enhance the spirituality of the viewer and help to raise awareness of environmental issues.

Volunteering in Montana for the Buffalo Field Campaign has moved me to create artwork to raise awareness of the plight of the Yellowstone Buffalo. This small surviving herd, adored by tourists in Yellowstone Park, numbers approximately 4,000. This herd is unique because these buffalo are direct descendants from the 30 million buffalo that once roamed freely on the American plains, and they are American’s only remaining herd of genetically pure continuously wild buffalo.

Today Tatanka’s existence is threatened. The Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL), and the National Park Service have killed more than 5,000 Yellowstone buffalo since 1985 because of fear of brucellosis transmission. Yet there has NEVER been a documented case of brucellosis transmission from wild buffalo to cattle.  The real issue is the pressure from the cattle industry for grass and grazing lands.

I painted the Tatanka 1, 2 and 3 and White Buffalo wall hangings to honor the Yellowstone Buffalo and raise awareness about the importance of their preservation. Tatanka is the Lakota word for buffalo. The legend of the white buffalo is a Native American story about racial tolerance and spirituality.

I made my first dream catcher while volunteering in the Buffalo Field Campaign. Dream catchers protect the breath of babies, ward away bad dreams, and play a role in the right of passage for adolescents in some Native American traditions. I view the see-through web of the dream catcher and its symbolic protection from bad dreams and negative spirits as metaphors for approaching environmental issues.

First we must see and be aware of the threats to the natural resources of the land, air, water, human and non-human creatures large and small.  We must learn how sound and light pollution affect the health and well being of all creatures, humans and plants.  We must treasure the wonder of being able to see the stars and limit our light pollution.  We must lessen the noise pollution that destroys the beauty of our inner silence. We must recognize that war and racial and cultural prejudice blocks our spirituality and detracts from the positive energy that we can bring to our planet. We must develop a deep awareness of our oneness with nature.  After awareness, must come the actions to protect our environment and make the world a better place for everyone.

Media

Each dream catcher web, including the colors and beads are thoughtfully and individually created to relate to the theme of the painting. The dream catchers and icons are strung with artificial sinew. The icons hanging from the dream catchers are made with recycled leftover pieces of archival mat board glued between two pieces of canvas. The icons, painted on both sides, turn with the air movement and cast their shadows on the canvas painting behind them.

The Tatanka and White Buffalo wall hangings are painted on heavy canvas with acrylic paint. The edges of the canvas have been left as they were cut, a reference to Native American painted buffalo hides. Appropriately the buffalo paintings hang from fallen branches, alluding to a spiritual connection with nature.