In Iroquois lore, sky woman fell through a hole in the atmosphere and landed on turtle’s back, which, through human and animal cooperation, became the earthly land that supports (nurtures) all life.
This image of the turtle ablaze shows the end of innocence, but with this painful crucifixion comes a resurrection / reconciliation after passing through the darkest hour. Nothing escapes the turtle’s vision and while it is familiar with the evil face of destruction wrought from fear and lies, it dons protective eyewear to diffuse the damaging glare. It seeks to keep its mind pure and to “see no evil”. With the turtle (the symbolic foundation) being one of the oldest creatures from the earth’s remote past, the precariousness of it’s very survival (inseparable from ours) could summon the end of our own denial, and the beginning of our awakening from slumber.
“Seenoevil.FireBurn” is part of the "Awakening" series (2001 - present) of mixed media composites. This expressionistic series addresses parallel themes of Native American cultural reawakening and human kinship with the natural environment. It illustrates the organic beauty I find in the elements and invokes the concept of transformation, often using southeastern mound culture designs and concepts. The process involves the piecing together of photographic elements, with original hand rendered art and digital editing, to create a hybrid. Likewise, the combination of organic patterns, figures and cultural references creates a conceptual merging.
Medium: mixed media composite using photos, pen, oil pastel & digital editing
Print format: variable media
Print dimensions: multiple sizes