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Bear Bull 16x20

Bear Bull 16x20

$1,500.00

Only 1 left in stock - order soon!

Mixed Media. 28 x 27 inches framed.

This energetic piece is 16x20 mixed-media on illustration board, custom framed locally in Utah. 

See full description & specifications

I have never created a piece of art that was so energizing. All of my previous work has been so controlled and detailed. The inspiration for this piece came from an Edward Curtis photograph and started out that way, as you can see in my blog. But my heart was tugging at me to try something different, to break out of the mold that I had put myself into. So...I grabbed my eraser and dragged it across the paper a few times. Then I threw some tea on my drawing. Then I sprayed the illustration board with water and painted it with some elderberry vodka that I had made. Then I got braver and dropped some ink on it and blew it around with a straw. The colors were so vibrant and ended up in places that made me nervous so I had to step back and think about it for a few days. I dreamed about it. I found some feathers in the yard and dipped them in white gouache and stamped them on the paper. I added some burnt umber charcoal lines in places to strengthen the composition. Then I did a little research on Bear Bull and learned that he was a Blackfoot warrior and that his Blackfoot name was Kayne-ina which means "male bear" so I drew a male bear on my paper with a fine art marker. The process of creating this piece was the most liberating and freeing  thing I have ever done. I hope you can feel that energy when you look at this piece.

 

 

Some of my art features Native Americans, also known as American Indians, who have lived and thrived on the North American landscape for thousands of years -- long before there was a United States. There are 500 federally recognized Tribes or Nations in the United States. Of those, Cheyenne, Apache, Navajo, Comanche, Sioux, and Blackfeet were some of the major Indian nations of the Old West in the 19th Century who lived in the Great Plains of North America, a vast area stretching from the Mississippi River to the west of the continent. The Southwest Tribes are located in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado and include the Apache, Hopi, Navajo, Pueblo and Zuni.

I've focused on the Great Plains and Southwest Tribes because I am influenced by their history, particularly because of where I live, in Utah. I feel inspired to portray their struggles, their pride, their reverence toward the land, and their wisdom through my art. I believe every person has a story and I try to express their story through every wrinkle I draw. I want my art to move you when you look at it. I want you to feel their joy, their pain and their pride as you explore every detail of the drawing.

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This Website Supports Augmented Reality to Live Preview Art

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