An Artist's Sketchbook

Old Paintings...


"Bear Totem", Acrylic and Sand, 1997

Even though I painted this over ten years, which is hard to believe, I wanted to start showing some of the work I've done in the past. I haven't done a painting in at least 4 or 5 years. Which is what this blog is actually all about. I have been itchin to paint again but feel like I've lost a lot of the foundation required to paint. So I decided to go back to basics and build my skills from the ground up. As a self taught artist this is something I have never done in the first place. So I am going to keep sketching and sketching and soon will start to put down some color on canvas. Until then I will pull out some older stuff to show every now and again.

The idea behind this painting is to acknowledge native lore and spirituality. It is not only about the bear, which is a sacred animal representing the "dream lodge" or a place of introspection (most artists spend a lot of time in the dream lodge). It also is a nod to the totem pole. The core of the painting represents the totem.