From my research of Native Indians I feel connected to them;
they share the same beliefs as I do with animals and the earth. They believe
that everything is sacred, from the largest mountain to smallest animal or
plant. They respect their creator, mother earth and all of her creations. I
want to show this is my piece; I want it to show respect towards nature by
using only natural substances and I felt this really worked with my project
title ‘Spirit of the horse.’ How can I expect to really represent the spirit of
the horse using paints manufactured by man with chemicals in them? Using
natural resources I feel like I can make a connection to the animal, especially
as most of my sources will come from my horse or were in contact with him.
Using his own used bedding and hayledge to his poo will bring a piece of him
into my work. The real him, not a copy outline of his form at best, but the him
I see every day, work with every day and love.
The inspiration to use natural substances came from the day
I painted Rocky with creams and got really interested in war paint. I looked
into the meanings for all the colours and symbols and loved that the paint was
made out of natural resources. I found a book in the library about Native
Indians and looked more into their art and use of animals. The buffalo was
their source for almost everything they needed to live and I found in one book
a picture of an Indian painting on a stretched buffalo skin with clays and
berries.
An example of a painted skin.
Source: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/exhibits/saving_memories/
Source: http://www.nebraskahistory.org/exhibits/saving_memories/
