this.

The drummer for our Country Band shared this link with me, and I am speechlessly delighted and inspired.  Yes and Yes.

aren't we all shapeshifters

A subtle houndstooth pattern behind, and delicate feathers underfoot, this fox is a meditation on, yet again, seeing things from both sides.  This was the first piece that I began for the Lone Pine Show, and I started it in early summer, in a time that was a bit of a kaleidoscope for me personally.  The fox had been in my sketches for a while, and when I finally started to dig deep into it's mythology, it just proved to be another little lesson.   Foxes symbolically carry a strong sense of intuition, of maneuvering in tricky situations, or being a bit of a trickster themselves.  They are adept at walking in between shadows, in order to observe what is really going on.   Trying to figure out the foxes relationship to it's environment (as well as the fact that there is a pile of feathers underfoot, now how did that happen?) was a great metaphor for taking a look at the featherbed I'd made for myself, and the mischief I sometimes distract myself with.  I mean, have you seen Wes Anderson's version of The Fantastic Mr. Fox?  Talk about distracting yourself with trouble...

It could also be said that on some levels, this is simply a portrait of Kelty.

She's pretty foxy.

fancypants, errr, sorta

Thank ya kindly to the Source Weekly for the cover lovin.'  

because your story weighs so much more than my story (six of one, half dozen of the other)

Elephants arrived in a couple of my pieces for the show at Lone Pine.  I had been thinking about the idea of 'the elephant in the room' as well as the myths of Ganesha, the elephant-headed hindu god who is the Remover of Obstacles.  What could be a more looming obstacle at times than the elephant in one's room?

The picture I used for reference for this piece was an old public domain drawing of elephants at a circus.  As I developed the piece, it seemed to make sense that the elephants weren't blatantly different sizes,  and the sea-saw they balanced on needed to be a delicate sort of perch.  I wanted to have them on display, but not with too much pageantry.  The circus tent became a backdrop of simplified Eye shapes,  a subtle audience to the reckoning of things.

It was important to me that the idea of two drastically different perspectives, two completely different experiences, could exist in a similar space, and still have kindness in their eyes.  Maybe Ganesha doesn't so much remove the obstacles between two people, instead perhaps he just aids in the acceptance of them.

after the dust settles, then the fire burns

Sometimes, I think I am the orange horse.  Sometimes, I think I am the grey.

A dynamic relationship, that's for sure.


Anthropomorphism is a tricky thing.  Animals make great stand-ins when you want to talk about tricky, sticky, messy, heart-wrenching, but ultimately beautiful things (relationships, for example).  The tricky part comes in, however, when you realize that sometimes the grey horse and the orange horse are really stand-ins for the same person, or they switched colors and stories without asking anyone's permission (especially not the person creating the story).  Tricky, but also entertaining because the story you thought you were telling starts to tell you.


An aside- I like to hide secret messages in collages, cause I find it entertaining.  This one has a nod to my dad's family brand- which is an A enclosed in a heart.  Given, they used the brand on cows and not horses, but still.  Also, I guess it's not a secret message if I tell you it is there...  but then- Where's Waldo wouldn't be fun if you didn't know who you were looking for...

also there is this.

I like to sing a bit, and I'm lucky these fellas let me.

early december at the Horned Hand

pinterest

I'm starting to enjoy this very much, and so inspired! Usually after a show, it takes some time to re-fuel. Not this time.
Pinterest is helping me keep track of all the things I run across that I find intriguing, and can brainstorm visually...
Though I am quickly realizing with all this technology I kinda need an Unplugged Day of the Week.