My husband, Butch, is very interested in
Native American traditions. I have heard of medicine wheels, but, I
never really knew anything about them. After doing my own research,
I decided to do this peace on the Lakota Medicine Wheel. It is
important to note that sacred animals and sacred plants can differ
from tribe to tribe. All tribes acknowledge the existence of a
supreme being, the four polar directions of the earth, and the four
seasons of life.
I decided to do the writing on a diagonal in order to represent the
same intersection points of the four polar directions…where man is
closest to God. I liked the pattern created by using different
widths for each word of text. I chose to insert the four polar
directions and the sacred plants in a circle that is divided into
four seasons. These are done in colored pencil. I placed the sacred
animals above their respective polar direction. The animals are done
in indigo stick ink. |
This last year of Reggie’s Workshop has changed me as a
calligrapher. This year I wanted my work to tell a story. I did not
want to just write a quote, add a symbol etc. and stop there. I
wanted to describe what I was feeling. I wanted to tell a story. I
did a lot of research on my own in order to find ways to express the
meaning of what I wanted to convey. In the past I never delved so
deeply into the history/meaning of what I planned to create. I tried
to apply this approach to all of my homework pieces this year.
Reggie is constantly making suggestions for reading, listening and
watching. This year I came to understand how important it is to heed
these suggestions to their fullest potential. I worked hours and
hours on research and lettering for this year’s homework
assignments. Each hour brought me great comfort (and, if I am truly
honest, some hours brought me great PAIN)! But all the hours were
worth every precious minute.
Once again, “Thank you Reggie”. |
