Feathered Sunshine

Finches in general have a beautiful song.  We would always have several of them when I lived up in Pennsylvania every year.  Where as they're small birds, their bright yellow colors always made them easy to spot in the crowd of sparrows and chickadees.  They also have a very distinct flight pattern, so even if you can't catch the yellow across the sky, you can follow the wave like pattern...flap flap flap drop flap flap flap drop flap flap flap drop.  I'm not sure why that always amused me as a child, but I thought it was the funniest way to fly.

This goldfinch is perched on a branch of dogwood.  I haven't seen any since I've moved to the island, but I'm hoping that one of these days, I'll spot one amongst the birds that visit the museum gardens.

The Meeting Of Totems

Last April, I got to teach the very basics of how to paint on a feather.  The feathers we used for a lot of them were simple chicken feathers, so they were big enough to paint something on, but inexpensive enough that it didn't break a little bit of my soul when someone just drowned it in acrylic paint.  I did some simple designs to give some examples.  All and all the whole experience went wonderfully and I'm excited to be able to do it again this coming April.

I had one of our dancers, and long time volunteer of the Powwow, come up to me and ask if I would do a commission piece.  Her partner had an experience while praying and asking for a sign that the Red Road was the proper path for him.  He was struggling a little bit, feeling it was right but still being unsure.  He sat there for a long time, getting seemingly no answer from any of his guides.  He turned from his meditation, and they started to head home.  They were driving on an open road, no trees to cover their line of sight.  When he paused at a stop sign, a huge golden eagle came out of nowhere, landed on the hood of the car, spread its wings across the windshield, screeched, and flew off out of sight.  His totem was waiting for a perfect opportunity to show itself and say hello.  For his up and coming birthday, I was asked if I could do a painting of his totem for him.  It was the first time I had done a larger feather, and stayed up all night to see what I could do.

They both loved it!  And that's one more piece that I've been blessed to have go to wonderful people!