The Talismans Bird

Fascinated by the history of Symbolism and how implanted oneiric images in my subconscious continue to show up in my art, I began the journey of iconography. Inspired by the images of the Tarot, Archetypal Symbols, Stained Glass in Medieval France, Gothic Art of the 12th Century, the writings of Carl Gustav Jung and my personal Cherokee ancestry, I began to collect the symbols and images that spoke to me most.

Birds are an archetypal symbol for the spirit and its freedom from the limitations of the material world. After reading Ken Carey’s book ‘Return of the Bird Tribes’ I began to include the bird image in most of my painting and prints and which constitutes a fundamental source of inspiration for this piece “The Talismans Bird.”  It represents ‘the Bird Tribes’ as the higher dimensional aspects of being, including ourselves. I have used my printmaking techniques of Intaglio Etching and Chine Collé to create this mono-print. Utilizing my own handmade decorative papers and a variety of papers from around the world, I layer pattern and iconic images created from metal and wood plates to express a personal statement.

They hark back to my grandmother’s ancestors in the Cherokee Indians Tribe, who believed that Birds were messengers with special spiritual powers. They like many Indian Tribes adorned themselves with feathers during rituals and gatherings.

Works Retrospective Gallery  - Click on image to enlarge