WAKAN TANKA

Winner of two awards at the 2019 International Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival, sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum:First Place, Fiber Arts - Mixed MediaAward of Excellence - Mixed Techniques - Fiber Arts

Green Medicine Wheel

22.5” x 13.5” x 1.5”

Mixed media

I have a deep reverence for Native American culture: for its wisdom; for its comprehensive philosophy; for its humility, and for its aesthetics. The ancient concept of the medicine wheel is to convey our connection to all there is with all being a circle or cycle; in fact, medicine wheels were often called sacred hoops or sacred circles. Historically, ancient people made them by laying stones in a particular pattern on the ground. Using simple geometry, they comprise the four directions, i.e., the four aspects of our being: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. 

I altered my technique in this piece. Instead of using textiles, I wove different fibers onto pieces of plastic canvas, layered them, and did some intricate beading. The hunting and gathering (of the beads) played a major role in the making. 

Detail. Click to enlarge.