One of the emotions an artist faces occurs the moment her art
passes into the hands of a new owner. I want to sell my work
and yet, at that special moment, a small lump forms in the throat. This was
true for me at the recent sale of Indian
Blankets because a phenomenal experience was the inspiration for the work.
One beautiful summer day, my husband and I were driving
along the road into the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in SW Oklahoma. We
were hoping to catch sight of the free range native animals that roam wherever they
please over the 59,000 acres of the refuge. It is quite a thrill to see
groups of Texas longhorn cattle grazing in the distance, or see a crowd of bison
waiting their turn to take a dust bath in a wallow. On this day, I was elated
to find a number of bison grazing nearby.
Ahead of us was one gigantic bull munching grass along the
shoulder of the road. I rolled down my window and prepared my camera as we very
slowly inched up alongside of him knowing full well how unpredictable and
dangerous bison can be. He was as big as
our SUV. We moved very quietly along his side and he took absolutely no notice
of our presence. I could have reached
out and scratched his head if I dared. I settled for hearing him breathe as he snatched
up bits of prairie grass and shook the flies from his spectacular head of
rough hair. It was a jubilant high for
me because a quilt was inspired at that very moment.
I did not take one photo because I wanted to remember the
entire encounter rather than have it miniaturized and defined by a camera lens.
The image of the bull is deeply imprinted in my mind. Upon return to my studio,
Indian Blankets was started.
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| Indian Blankets, 51" x 64" SOLD |
I designed the bull eating gaillardia, rather than grass,
because the flower is commonly called, Indian blankets, is Oklahoma’s state flower
and grows wild in the refuge. The bison remains
a strong animal figure because the species historically sustained our Native Americans
in so many ways. And I have a great fondest for these spectacular creatures, Bison bison.
