Bison #4

Original Art : Acrylic and metallic paint on Reeves BFK 100% Cotton Paper

42" X 56" $2500 + $150 shipping

PRINTS available here.

I've been thinking A LOT about words lately after re-visiting The Four Agreements. Words are what separate us from other animals. Words can harm us when we are young and have an enormous impact on the rest of our lives. Both good *and* bad. When you are young, and a relative says "you are not good at singing", you might tuck that away as your identity. Or, the opposite, a relative (or someone you love and look up to) tells you that you have a great singing voice- you will continue to sing, to gain that approval. The words we are given when we are developing, are like little lockets of information that we subconsciously hold on to into adulthood. Like Ruiz says, words are either black magic or white magic. It's tricky how the mind works, too. I tend to remember every negative thing my grandmother has ever said to me, the exact moment, frozen in time. But I can't remember all the other MANY times she has told me she loved me and called me Dolly, which I love.

I'm really focusing on being better with my words and thinking about how they impact others, especially my son. And he challenges me the MOST. Every day I have been focusing on the four agreements: Be impeccable with your word. Don't make assumptions. Don't take things personally. Do your best.>>>>Keeping all of this at my forefront, it's helping me to understand how we have gotten to be the culture we are. So many generations have grown up with black magic. Negative talk and gossip. You are not good enough. You are not pretty enough. You are bad. We have the power to shift that, but the hard work that it takes is not for those who consider themselves victims. We are all given our struggles so that we can say "hey! that happened to me too! You are not alone."- and for all the people stepping forward and allowing that vulnerability to be let in, we get closer to freedom. 

This painting is inspired by a photograph taken by Carmon Briggs who is a volunteer at the Tallgrass Praire Preserve in Pawhuksa, Oklahoma, which is a part of the Nature Conservancy. 

10% of the profit from the sale of the Original Painting will be donated to the preserve. www.nature.org

All original paintings have METALLIC paint on them, which shifts in the light. The background on the ORIGINAL painting is pink, but has a silver over layer that shines. THIS photograph really picks up on the silver. The PRINTS do not feature the metallic paint. If you are interested in the original and would like more photos, just shoot me an email :)