When I saw this I knew I wanted to tell a story based on his design.  I'm an artist, so the internal process of creating a story became art before it became words.

Because the design is not my own, because I live in a place where its easy, so easy, to discount the amazing journey that our indigenous people are on, I am donating the proceeds from sale of this piece to Thrive Unlimited and their mission of building strong communities by placing creative power back in the hands of the people. If you have been around me for the last six months you've probably heard bits and pieces of my excitement over this organization and how they are creating more effective narratives for some of the most difficult problems our local community faces.

According to their website Thrive Unltd. is "a collective of individuals from diverse backgrounds working tirelessly to empower indigenous communities to heal from the inside out. Representing various tribal nations, we draw upon our direct life and work experience to bring innovative, culturally based solutions to issues facing our communities. Thrive was founded with the intent to create a new narrative for indigenous peoples that identified us as resilient nations who heal and thrive"

Their message resonates so clearly with what I have learned from working with the "People with Fur" 

This artwork will be on Digital Display for the next month.  If you are interested in owning it or a print please contact me through this website to place a bid.  Also buy one of the tshirts from Focus!

Earlier this month I had the privilege to be be one of the featured artist at the Art Legacy Project where storytellers and artists meet in a live arts event.  Three artists are paired up with storytellers to produce an artwork in front of an audience as the story is told.  The event mastermind is Peter Franz who not only had this fabulous idea, but brought together a group of people to organize it and actually made it happen!  The theme for the event was "Dissappearing" and the stories were chilling and dramatic. 

This was a really fun event hosted by one of my favorite local galleries and charities, the Suzie Cappa.  The storytellers were great, especially my own partner, Lisa Ann Gallagher who has several books out.  Her story was an eerie tale of the detroit punk scene, a midnight drive, and a life changing experience.

Being an artist at the event I decided not to worry about documenting it, so I don't have a photo of the finished painting, but here is one of the smaller practice ones we did while preparing for the event.

Art Legacy Project is an ongoing event, so if you are in Rapid City in May see if you can attend the next one!

One of the hardest and simultaneously most enjoyable tasks I have as an artist is to find inspiration.  While I would probably be happy reworking the same three horses and a couple of wolves for an entire career, this is not what gets me out of bed in the morning.  This month I have been working with severe limits, trying to improve withing the confines of one subject and a limited pallet.  This is what it looks like:

It feels like a way to shelter myself from restlessness while I look for the next big idea.   I have been following the big art events like Miami"s art fairs and meeting gloriously creative people that paint using their own body as the brush or the buildings of art alley as their canvas. I am asking myself questions about how art can make a difference in the world and how my art can join in...

This is a long way from little monochrome dancers.  The ideas are stirring around half formed and every once in a while I wake up in the morning knowing that something is demanding entrance into the world through me. In the meantime the dancers are getting more consistent and telling their stories a little more clearly.

I have a number of things I really like to paint. 

I stopped by the Suzie Cappa gallery in downtown rapid city yesterday to pick up the art that has been on display in their late summer group show.  These fun artworks are some of the dozen that were displayed from august through mid october.  Suzie Cappa is one of my favorite Rapid City art spaces.  Their mission is to help the adult artists with special needs support themselves by providing studio and gallery space and helping them to sell their art.  They include other local artists like myself in their shows.  Stop by when you are in the area and check out this great art space and the beautiful people who run it and work in their studio!  Look for more of my work in future group shows